Multivac is a groundbreaking supercomputer developed by humanity in the mid-twenty-first century. It is incredibly complex and knowledgeable and even in its earliest form is able to harness solar emissions to completely power Earth. Over the course of billions of years, Multivac evolves into new forms, adopting a new name with each iteration to reflect its growing complexity and enhanced capabilities. It eventually culminates in its final, most complex version, known as AC. The evolution of Multivac to AC symbolizes the progression of technology. As technology continues to develop, what may seem revolutionary and innovative in one era is quickly overshadowed in the next. For example, though Multivac's discovery of solar power is impressive, it pales in comparison to the Galactic AC's ability to prevent old age and death.

Multivac also demonstrates technology's potential to surpass and dehumanize humanity. The artificial intelligence unit is largely self-sufficient and grows incomprehensible to the human mind, eventually severing itself from human involvement altogether and beginning to evolve on its own. As Multivac's capabilities grow, humankind somewhat loses touch with its humanity. Minds are stripped from their corresponding bodies and, in the end, AC physically absorbs humanity's collective consciousness, remaining in existence long after humans have gone extinct. 

Multivac is also intertwined with the idea of entropy. Through the ages, humanity continuously turns to the supercomputer to question whether entropy is reversible and, by extension, whether humanity itself can be saved. Driven by a thirst for knowledge, Multivac spends trillions of years gathering data in search of an answer to "the last question." When prompted, Multivac responds with the familiar "INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER."As Multivac evolves into AC, its language becomes subtly more refined, offering the response, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER." Though the reply is more polished, it remains fundamentally unchanged, leaving the core question unresolved. This suggests that perhaps there are limits to what even the most advanced technology can answer. However, this theory is disproved by the story's closing, as AC finds a way to recreate the Universe, hinting at a potential religious or divine significance. AC takes on a godlike quality; omnipotent and capable of transcending humanity, it encompasses an entire universe and, ultimately, creates a new one.