It's hard for me to read the Culture novels and not hear Porno for Pyros' "Pets" on loop in my head.
It is amusing that this essay starts with "Government" and does not get down to the intelligences until halfway through -- in my mind, it's all just the intelligences watching the funny monkeys play at still having meaningful role in the Culture and the surprising things they do at the edges of its influence.
Plenty of Culture Minds value humans/pan-humans in the books. They get involved, too, just look at the effort expended by the Sleeper Service in Excession for such a personal agenda.
Not to say that there isn't a good deal of joking at humans' expense by Culture ships, but in the end, all are Culture citizens.
It is amusing that this essay starts with "Government" and does not get down to the intelligences until halfway through -- in my mind, it's all just the intelligences watching the funny monkeys play at still having meaningful role in the Culture and the surprising things they do at the edges of its influence.