Real Reason Why AI Thinking Machines Were Banned In Dune: Prophecy

In the distant past, humanity created highly advanced mechanical constructs, known as "thinking machines," to perform tasks that went beyond mere automation. More advanced than ChatGPT in its current form, or any other AI in this present time, these machines developed sentience, surpassing their creators intellectually. The word sentience employed here, is simply a lower form of consciousness. Much like modern concerns over AI, they began replacing human ingenuity entirely, a dynamic that led to their exploitation by elites. Concepts such as mathematics, processing and data entry were all done by these machines, relieving humanity of these duties as a whole.

Dune Prophecy unfolds generations before the events depicted in Denis Villeneuve's Dune films, serving as both a standalone series and a narrative prelude to the rise of Paul Atraydeez. The show focuses primarily on the origins and ascent of the Bene Gesserit, drawing loose inspiration from the novel Sisterhood of Dune. However, the premiere episode briefly delves into pivotal historical moments that shaped the Dune universe, including the catastrophic Butlerian Jihad.

The Butlerian Jihad, an event unmentioned in the Dune films, had a profound impact on the Great Houses, such as House Atraydeez and House Harkonnen. This revolt against machines outlawed advanced robotics, marking them as heretical. Though only briefly depicted in the opening of the new series, it hints at an expanded exploration of the universe's backstory.

Frank Herbert’s original Dune novels describe how humanity, by relinquishing intellectual autonomy to these machines, enabled tyrannical figures to wield them as tools of control. To quote the books, humanity giving their thinking over to the thinking machines "permitted other men with machines to enslave them." In a sense, it was more analogous to politics or even religion, with a politician or a clergy member, or even a deity being the person who thinks on behalf of the masses. This serves as a cautionary allegory against blind faith in leaders or institutions—a recurring theme in Dune.

Recognizing the danger, humanity waged war against the thinking machines in what became known as the Butlerian Jihad, named after Manion Butler, its first martyr. Manion was a notable part of the series' backstory, and the families of the Great Houses (Harkonen, Corrino and Atraydeez) can trace their lineage back to him. The war decimated countless lives but ultimately eradicated the machines. In their place, human "mentats"—living computers—replaced the thinking machines...

DUNE: PROPHECY
10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, following two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.

Dune: Prophecy is an American science fiction television series developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker for HBO. Set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe, the series focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful social, religious, and political force whose members possess superhuman powers and abilities after undergoing years of intense physical and mental conditioning. Dune: Prophecy is a prequel to the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune, which adapts the first half of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, and it takes place some 10,000 years before the events of the film. The show, which draws upon, but is set after, the Great Schools of Dune novel trilogy (2012–2016) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, is produced by Legendary Television, with Schapker serving as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.


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