I could bet that they are actually working on HAL right now, as we speak, Mark.  :o Maybe they call it 9001, so that nobody gets suspicious.
Now I don't want to upset you, but does the phrase 'skynet' ring a bell? Note the 'sky' there and get  :-?.

Nobody posting the new articles on the pilots and automation critics? That topic comes up every few years and now some journalists seem to have spotted THE cause of all evil, again.
However, how do modern pilots keep their flying skills up and current?
Lou, as seen, always went on classic planes too and still does, but how is the everyday workload of a 777, A330 or some other 'automation follower' able to keep his stick and rudder skills alive?

Remember, there was a time where a captain stepped into the fresh 707 and said 'ah, I hate those modern sissy planes'.  8-)