Banks actually said that Excession was partially inspired by Civilization and IM programs. Can't find where I read that, more's the pity.

And just to be, you know, a sad, petulant geek, Excession is set in the future, but the humans aren't us. There's a lead-in story in Banks' collection of short fiction entitled The State of the Art, where the Culture come to Earth in the 1970's, with a young Diziet Sma, and what's-it's-drone, starring. (Forgive any factual errors, I lent my copy of Excession to someone two years ago and still haven't got it back.)