Possession and Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy

William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy focuses on the techno-spiritual relationship between humanity and artificial intelligences (AIs). This book explores this relationship in the context of possession: demonic possession in the case of Neuromancer, and spirit possession, or "trance states" in general, in Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. The first chapter examines the human-technology relationship in Neuromancer as wholly negative, with the AIs' invasive acts associated with demonic possession. The second chapter examines the relationship between humanity and technology in Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive as ambiguous. Possession in Neuromancer reflects Gibson’s belief that technology can be dangerous, but ultimately the changing attitude toward possession in the trilogy suggests that the human-AI relationship could result in a mutually beneficial symbiosis – even if possession cannot be viewed as a completely positive phenomenon.