When I read the Culture books my impression was that humanity was basically treated as treasured pets of the nearly omnipotent AIs they created. Most of the time the humans are asked to do something it's because the AIs want a fleshy face to present to some alien species so as to not freak them out.
If the Culture was forced to abandon humanity they would be sad, but would be none the worse off.
As a result, I was annoyed at how the novels were centered around the humans. They were way less interesting than the AIs. It was like watching the Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Toto.
If the Culture was forced to abandon humanity they would be sad, but would be none the worse off.
As a result, I was annoyed at how the novels were centered around the humans. They were way less interesting than the AIs. It was like watching the Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Toto.