The Blade Runner, Neuromancer, and Machinehood demonstrated the power of corporate entities and their pervasive nature. The Neuromancer in particular, highlighted the influence of powerful families such as the Tessier-Ashpool family corporation, which controlled individuals and resources. The family lived on a space station in which they created an alternate reality for themselves by isolating from the rest of society, embodying the roles of corporate aristocrats. The Tessier-Ashpool family used their wealth, power, and influence to create a ruling class for themselves in which they were able to live under a neo-feudal order. This order represented the relationship between God and the people on Earth, in this instance, the Tessier-Ashpool took on the role of a god-like figure, who of which had access to everyone’s personal data and surveillance.
One of the main themes in the Neuromancer was the unregulated use of artificial intelligence. The Tessier-Ashpool family created Wintermute and Nueromancer, two highly advanced AI beings to act as servants. They exploited AI for personal gain and experimented with the idea of immortality by using cryogenic preservation to withstand the passage of time and extend their lives beyond natural limitations. Because of this, the family used time and death as luxury and a resource that could be managed.
I believe that corporations are headed are headed in this direction however, they are not as extreme. Major technological corporations such as Amazon, Google, and Meta, have been questioned for their privacy and surveillance policies and data leaks for users which violate individual autonomies for all who use these platforms. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX recently purchased Twitter, now known as X. He has been able to utilize this platform to spread the far right agenda by incorporating it into the algorithm which makes it almost inescapable for users. While this isn’t to the same degree of the Tessier-Ashpool family, allowing corporations to have this great of an influence on society has proven to be detrimental if there aren’t any external forces to intervene.
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