​The Line is a futuristic city under construction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This paper examines its development as an incubator of modernization, seeking to transform the socio–cultural and infrastructural landscape of the Kingdom. The paper notes how The Lineʼs aspirations are genealogically based on a Western cyberpunk imaginary picturing hypermodern cities populated by artificial intelligences. It reveals the influence that cyberpunk fiction had in the conceptualization of The Line, in a way that represents a conscious break with the urban and cultural past of Saudi Arabia. In this regard, the paper critically analyses the role that modernization, as a double–edged sword, plays in advancing novel ideas inspired by Western culture while, at the same time, undermining the roots of traditional Saudi culture.