While reading this book, I kept thinking about HAL from 2001: A space odyssey and J.A.R.V.I.S from Marvel franchise. Both are AI, advanced programming for their times and there is more to them than meets the eye. Mike is an AI set in the world of this book who runs the entire colony's infrastructure. Somewhere along the line, the AI becomes self aware. 
 Heinlein treats the subject of self-awareness with an abstraction. The first visible sign of it exhibiting higher capability is when Mike develops a sense of humor. And then helps kick start a revolution. At its surface, its quite a long leap but beneath it all - its really not. It's an interesting ideology Heinlein explores as he narrates evolution of a society that essentially has very little to now laws. 
 Essentially its a story set in a libertarian ranch in middle of nowhere but still controlled by oppressive government. The people revolt against the government and it all works out very nicely in the end. (The ending itself is quite apparent and becomes obvious in the middle.) 
 The supercomputer Mike's self-awareness is almost god-like. I couldn't get myself invested in political ideologies as the characters exhibit the same problem Ayn Rand's character do: they act like mouth pieces to the author's agenda. 
 Heinlein got one thing right - There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.