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"I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled 'Science Fiction' and I would like out, particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Wintermute  
  An artificially intelligent computer system.  

"Wintermute is the recognition code for an AI. I've got the Turing Registry numbers. Artificial intelligence."

"If Yonderboy's right," the Finn said. "this AI is backing Armitage."

"And you think it's this AI? Those things aren't allowed any autonomy..."

Technovelgy from Neuromancer, by William Gibson.
Published by Phantasia Press in 1984
Additional resources -

How are AIs regarded in the novel?

`You are worse than a fool,' Michle said, getting to her feet, the pistol in her hand. `You have no care for your species. For thousands of years men dreamed of pacts with demons. Only now are such things possible. And what would you be paid with? What would your price be, for aiding this thing to free itself and grow?' There was a knowing weariness in her young voice that no nineteen-year-old could have mustered. `You will dress now. You will come with us. Along with the one you call Armitage, you will return with us to Geneva and give testimony in the trial of this intelligence. Otherwise, we kill you. Now.' She raised the pistol, a smooth black Walther with an integral silencer.

`I'm dressing already,' he said, stumbling toward the bed. His legs were still numb, clumsy. He fumbled with a clean t-shirt.

`We have a ship standing by. We will erase Pauley's con struct with a pulse weapon.'

Compare to other similar AI's like the City Fathers from Cities in Flight (1957) by James Blish, Deep Thought from The Hitchhiker's Guide (1979) by Douglas Adams and Mike from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966) by Robert Heinlein.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Neuromancer
  More Ideas and Technology by William Gibson
  Tech news articles related to Neuromancer
  Tech news articles related to works by William Gibson

Wintermute-related news articles:
  - TellApart Ads Follow You On The Web
  - One Third Of Young Canadians Prefer Robot Boss

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