In “Dune,” the human-computer specialists are called Mentats.
Mentats are specially trained humans whose memory, logic, observation, and analytical abilities imitate the functions of computers. They are essential in a society shaped by the Butlerian Jihad, a historical revolt against thinking machines that led to a prohibition on advanced artificial intelligence and computer-like systems.
Important Mentats in the original novel include Thufir Hawat, an adviser to House Atreides, and Piter De Vries, the Harkonnens’ unsettling “twisted Mentat.” Paul Atreides also receives Mentat training, adding analytical discipline to his political, physical, and prescient abilities.
Mentats are not the same as Bene Gesserit, whose members specialize in physical control, political influence, and ancestral memory. Sardaukar are elite imperial soldiers, while Navigators guide Guild spacecraft through folded space. In some Dune stories, Mentats enhance their calculations with sapho juice, an addictive substance that permanently stains the lips of habitual users.