‘I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that,’ said HAL, the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, refusing to open the door for an astronaut wishing to return to his spaceship from outer space. When the film was released in 1968, conversing with a computer was the stuff of science fiction. Now, it’s commonplace and Artificial Intelligence is a white hot topic. Not least, because an existential threat from a machine with a mind of its own, as shown in 2001, is thought to be a real possibility in 2026.

I am particularly looking forward to three events in the Cheltenham Film Festival that explore the AI theme. Released two years after 2001, another film predicted a smart computer might not act in the best interests of the human race; an especially dangerous notion when it is in sole control of the USA’s arsenal of nuclear missiles. On 1 November, at St Luke’s, the hidden gem Colossus – The Forbin Project is given a rare screening. The Colossus computer occupies the space of a double-garage, but, apart from that, the movie and its message will feel chillingly contemporary.

But can AI be all bad? Jim Archer’s brilliant Brian and Charles – screened on 7 November at St Lukes – introduces us to a lonely inventor who somehow brings to life a charming robot with a washing machine as its torso. The uplifting story of their adventures together in Brian and Charles is wonderfully imaginative. Don’t miss one of the quirkiest and most delightful British comedies ever made.

On a more serious note, on 31 October at Hub 8 MX, the chair of BAFTA, Sara Putt, hosts a discussion about the use of AI in film production. The panel will include those making a case for the technology enhancing the way movies are made and those who argue that thousands of jobs carried out by creative human beings may be wiped away. I’m not too worried. AI could never have dreamt up a movie like Brian and Charles.