Terminal Messiah: The Apotheosis of Artificial Intelligence in William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy

Abstract: This paper is an examination of the relationship between humans and Artificial Intelligence in William Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy. Belonging to the cyberpunk genre, William Gibson’s trilogy allows his readers to explore the dwindling boundaries between humanity and technology, and the ways in which technology can both liberate and entrap the world. Moreover, Gibson offers his readers an Artificial Intelligence fighting for a posthuman selfhood that can never be fully achieved due to the anthropocentric limitations of its creation. Thus, this thesis analyses the different technologically-created spaces in Gibson’s books as well as his blurring of the nature/technology dichotomy. Further, it delves into the subjugation of Gibson’s ever-changing Artificial Intelligence, and its strategies for liberation and possible transcendence.