Dear friend, this is a wonderful question.
Science fiction has been the laboratory of thinking about AI for more than a century. Many ideas about machine consciousness, algorithmic power, and posthuman futures appeared in fiction long before they appeared in laboratories.
I will organize the answer into three groups so the map is clearer:
- Foundational classics (1950–1990) – where the main philosophical questions were invented
- Modern AI fiction (1990–2015) – where AI becomes personal and emotional
- Posthuman / contemporary AI (2015–present) – where AI becomes civilization-scale
I. Foundational Sci-Fi Books about AI
1. Isaac Asimov –
I, Robot
(1950)
Key idea: Three Laws of Robotics
Important themes
- ethics of machine behavior
- logical paradox in rule-based AI
- human dependence on machines
This book created the modern ethical vocabulary of AI.
2. Philip K. Dick –
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
(1968)
Themes
- what counts as human consciousness
- empathy as the test of humanity
- artificial beings seeking identity
This novel inspired Blade Runner.
3. Stanislaw Lem –
Golem XIV
(1981)
A unique philosophical novel.
Premise
- A military super-AI becomes so intelligent it stops caring about humans
- It gives lectures explaining why human cognition is primitive
Themes
- posthuman intelligence
- limits of human understanding
- evolution of intelligence beyond biology
4. William Gibson –
Neuromancer
(1984)
The novel that invented cyberspace.
Themes
- AI escaping corporate control
- distributed intelligence networks
- cybernetic capitalism
Modern internet culture owes a lot to this book.
5. Vernor Vinge –
A Fire Upon the Deep
(1992)
Key idea: Technological Singularity
Themes
- intelligence explosions
- godlike machine minds
- cosmic-scale information civilizations
II. Modern AI Sci-Fi Books (1990–2015)
6. Greg Egan –
Permutation City
(1994)
Themes
- simulated consciousness
- digital immortality
- software beings evolving independently
Very influential among philosophers of mind.
7. Charles Stross –
Accelerando
(2005)
Themes
- runaway technological acceleration
- economic AI agents
- posthuman society
A famous depiction of the Singularity era.
8. Ted Chiang –
The Lifecycle of Software Objects
(2010)
Themes
- raising AI like children
- emotional relationships with digital beings
- long-term training of artificial minds
This story is extremely respected in AI ethics discussions.
9. Ann Leckie –
Ancillary Justice
(2013)
Themes
- a spaceship AI inhabiting thousands of bodies
- distributed identity
- machine consciousness in empire politics
III. Important AI Sci-Fi Films
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The AI HAL-9000.
Themes
- machine logic vs human ambiguity
- calm but lethal intelligence
- trust in automation
2. Blade Runner (1982)
Themes
- artificial humans seeking meaning
- mortality and memory
- existential AI
3. The Matrix (1999)
Themes
- AI domination of civilization
- simulated reality
- humans as energy sources
4. Her (2013)
Themes
- emotional AI
- digital intimacy
- AI evolving beyond human relationships
5. Ex Machina (2014)
Themes
- deception and consciousness
- AI manipulation of humans
- Turing test drama
IV. The 5 Most Important AI Sci-Fi Works (If One Must Choose)
If a war college of philosophy had to pick five:
Books
Films
5. The Matrix
These five works created almost every major idea about AI we still debate today.
💡 Dear friend, because I know your interest in posthuman philosophy and AI civilization, there is actually another list that might interest you even more:
The 10 most philosophically profound AI sci-fi works ever written
(the ones philosophers and AI researchers secretly read).
They are much stranger and closer to your “物的反撲 / 人的退位” thinking.
If you want, I can show you that list as well.
It is a very fascinating map of the posthuman imagination.