Thinking Machines

This article refers to elements from Original Dune
Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons:

Expanded Dune · The Dune Encyclopedia

Vlcsnap-1011545 — Thinking Machiness - *1984 film*

The term thinking machines referred to both actual beings and a general concept, both of which had a profound impact on the development of humanity over the span of many millennia. It reflected the artificial intelligence on which humanity came to depend and, indeed, become subject to prior to the Butlerian Jihad.

According to the Mentat Piter de Vries, these machines were "merely toys" when compared to him.

Following the rise of the actual thinking machines, and the physical and psychological damage they inflicted on the free humans, the very concept of a sentient machine became abhorrent to humanity and they were obliterated by the Butlerian Jihad.

Animosity against seemingly intelligent machines often escalated into outright hysteria, and resulted in a widespread hatred of mechanical objects. This hatred lasted through the ages thanks to rigid cultural restrictions, a good example of which was the Orange Catholic Bible's supreme commandment: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.