Butlerian Jihad
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The Butlerian Jihad was a holy war against thinking machines in the Dune universe.
In the fictional Dune universe, the Butlerian Jihad was a crusade (c. 200 BG) that banned "thinking machines"-computers and AI-after humanity became enslaved by them. The war resulted in the creation of the Orange Catholic Bible and the rise of human-computers like Mentats. In Frank Herbert's original novels, the Jihad is referenced only as a historical event, with the commandment: "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind."
Later novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Legends of Dune trilogy, 2002-2004) expanded the Jihad into a full narrative, depicting a war against the thinking machine empire Omnius. Key human leaders included Serena Butler, Iblis Ginjo, and Xavier Harkonnen. The conflict ended with the nuclear destruction of Earth and the defeat of the machines, leading to the Butlerian religious prohibition.
What commenters are saying
Many commenters see the Butlerian Jihad as increasingly prophetic, comparing it to modern concerns about AI and automation. Some cite Frank Herbert's quote: "Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them."
A Phoenix-area commenter reports an active "BJ" group performing urban sabotage on e-scooters and QR codes. Another comment notes that Herbert's Dune books didn't fully explore the Jihad but used it to justify Mentats and the Bene Gesserit, while others argue it was central to his themes about human evolution and avoiding machine-dependency.