Dune's Butlerian Jihad and the Future of AI

Frank Herbert's Dune universe bans artificial intelligence following a devastating "Butlerian Jihad" war, instead featuring mentally-enhanced humans powered by the spice melange. The article argues that Dune's cautionary tale is more relevant than typical AI apocalypse narratives like Terminator, as it highlights how AI creates oppressive technocratic control and human dependence—a scenario already emerging with today's Big Tech companies pushing unrestricted AI adoption.