ipl-logo

How Does Neuromancer Use Artificial Intelligence In Frankenstein

1065 Words5 Pages

Artificial intelligence first revealed itself in 1818 with the first science fiction novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. One-hundred-sixty-six years later, artificial intelligence is still a driving force in the science fiction genre, as demonstrated in William Gibson’s Neuromancer, published in 1984. It even shows up in science fiction movies, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Artificial intelligence is a common thread in science fiction because it acts as a mirror to the morality of humanity. Victor Frankenstein’s fascination with creating “life” is inspired by some of his favorite authors and alchemists, such as Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus. A series of events, the death of his cousin, witnessing the power of lightning, and finally being encouraged by someone to study what he truly loves, push Dr. Frankenstein to begin his experiments to recreate “life.” Dr. Frankenstein quickly becomes obsessed with his work, …show more content…

2001: A Space Odyssey represents the stepping stone between Frankenstein and Neuromancer, the casual existence, and use of artificial intelligence, through HAL. HAL is created as a sort of autopilot and companion for Dr. Bowman and Dr. Poole as they float around in space, far away from human companions. At first, HAL does a great job obeying his commands and programming. Eventually, he begins to make mistakes. The astronauts consider pulling the plug on HAL, similar to Dr. Frankenstein’s abandonment of his ugly Monster. HAL quickly finds out the astronauts plans and decides that the best way to ensure Dr. Bowman and Dr. Poole don’t kill him is to kill them first. HAL successfully kills Dr. Poole and the other astronauts on board, then tries to suffocate Dr. Bowman by locking him out in space with limited oxygen. Dr. Bowman manages to get back in the spaceship and kill

Open Document