Many historians believe that science fiction is as old as civilization itself. Believe it or not, even in the ancient times such work that resembles science fiction did exist. These are considered precursors of science fiction because they exhibit the fantastical elements although they lack the characteristics that really make up of science and technology. The fantasy aspects that are likened to modern science fiction include mechanical birds (which are equivalent to aircraft), the idea of time travel, human-like machines, the concept and quest for eternal life, as well as others. Because these were written in a time where technology and its advancements were still in their infancy, many of these aspects had not been made possible yet.

This paper, using science fiction as a heuristic support for exploring technical potentialities, is based on part of the works of Iain M. Banks, the novels of the "Culture series", in order to examine the role of artificial intelligences and the effects they could have on the life of a community from a political point of view. This series of science fiction novels portrays a galactic civilization based on anarchistic principles in which intelligent machines are largely responsible for managing the tasks linked to the handling of community affairs, thus freeing up the population to pursue more spiritual or fun activities. The first part of this paper shows that beyond the elements included in the stories, the Culture novels can be a way to address political questions that are raised by the widespread presence of highly evolved machines in the organization of a society. The second part, which takes into consideration the supposed founding principles of this civilization, examines the anarchist thought in order not only to display the correspondences between this thought and the vision of Iain M. Banks, but also to show that the various anarchistic currents are in a way outdistanced by the emerging challenges posed by these novels. The third part, written again from a political standpoint, attempts to establish more concrete connections, based on discernable evolutions in computerization or automation of technological systems, which seem to be working their way into a growing number of social processes and their regulation.