Butlerian Jihad

About

Butlerian Jihad refers to a conflict in the Dune franchise between humans and intelligent machines, which results in the destruction of all artificial intelligence (AI) and the prohibition to create new forms of AI. The term is often used online as a tongue-in-cheek reference to slowing or halting progress with artificial intelligence systems, which has notably been promoted by figures like Eliezer Yudkowsky.

Origin

In August 1965, the novel Dune by Frank Herbert was released, which references the Butlerian Jihad as a war that took place more than 10,000 years before the events of the book. In the novel, all forms of artificial intelligence have been prohibited along with the law "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind."^[1]

On January 3rd, 2021, YouTuber^[2] Nerd Cookies uploaded a video titled "What Was The Butlerian Jihad | Dune Lore," which gathered upwards of 370,000 views over the next three years (shown below).

Spread

The Butlerian Jihad has also been referenced in numerous memes over the years. For example, on April 26th, 2020, Redditor^[3] /u/xangadix posted a meme about the Butlerian Jihad to /r/Dune, gathering over 1,000 upvotes in three years (seen below).

On March 5th, 2022, Twitter^[7] user @isaiah_bb posted a tweet saying mentioning the phrase, gathering over 5,000 likes in a year (seen below, left). On October 13th, 2022, Twitter^[6] user @UltimateEgoist posted a tweet that read "r/dune banning AI-generated art is one of the most appropriate moderation decisions I’ve seen. Butlerian Jihad indeed," gathering 60,000 likes in five months (seen below, right).

Parallel In Warhammer 40,000

The concept of the Butlerian Jihad in Dune is also somewhat referenced within the lore of Warhammer 40k during an event around the time of the "Dark Age of Technology" prior to the game's setting, which revolves around a fundamental conflict with "The Men of Iron" (sentient humanoid machines created by humans).^[8]

Over the years, numerous internet users have made posts about this parallel. For example, on September 28th, 2016, a since-deleted Redditor noted this in a post to the /r/FanTheories^[10] subreddit, garnering over 330 upvotes and 80 comments in seven years (seen below).

Keeping in mind that most WH40K fluff is propaganda – the Dark Age of Technology is the period immediately prior to the Butlerian Jihad. Hence the shared disdain for Abominable Intelligence. The Emprah appears, briefly, as Vorian Atreides.

On September 20th, 2019, another since-deleted Redditor made a post comparing the two events on the /r/40kLore^[9] subreddit, receiving over 220 upvotes and 160 comments in roughly four years.

On September 24th, 2020, Redditor^[4] /u/Tnynfox posted a meme about Butlerian Jihad to /r/AdeptusMechanicus, gathering over 170 upvotes in roughly two years (seen below, left). On October 9th, Redditor^[5] /u/Tnynfox posted another Butlerian Jihad meme, this time to /r/Dune, gathering 300 upvotes in two years (seen below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References