What AI Taught Me About Knowledge That Changes You From Within

Growing up, something felt wrong about how we measured knowledge.

In school, intelligence was simple. Store the most facts. Recall them on demand. Get labeled "smart" and "knowledgeable."

But this never sat right with me.

Because I remember meeting people who weren't formally educated. Some had only basic literacy. Yet they were incredibly intelligent and thoughtful. They understood life in ways many highly educated didn't.

According to our educational standards, they weren't "knowledgeable."

This contradiction bothered me.

When AI Made It Evident

This feeling had been building gradually. Meeting more people. Experiencing life. But AI made it crystal clear.

Here was a system with access to all human information. Processing facts faster than humans ever could. Engaging in sophisticated conversations that seemed almost human.

It made me think about these questions again:

• What is real intelligence?

• What is knowledge?

By the definition of knowledge we use in schools, AI should be the most knowledgeable entity ever created.

But it wasn't human.

It became more clear to me that what we call "knowledge" is actually just information. Real knowledge is something quite different.

But what does this look like? Here's a story that shows the difference:

Art by Charbak Dipta

The king asks for information about knowledge. He wants to know "how" to become knowledgeable.

The Sufi doesn't give him a list. Instead, he creates an experience. One that transforms the king from within.

Watch what happens. The king doesn't just learn about patience and humility. He experiences them. He doesn't just hear about the path to true knowledge. He walks it.

And in that walking, he's changed.

Information would have been the Sufi's initial answer: "acquire knowledge, practice patience, maintain silence."

True knowledge was what the king gained through the experience that followed.

What Makes Knowledge Real

This story points to knowledge that echoes sayings from Islamic traditions. Imam Jafar Sadiq makes a statement about knowledge:

“Knowledge comes not only through learning. It is a light that falls upon the hearts.”

— Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq

Knowledge isn't information. Knowledge is like light that transforms the heart.

Real transformation happens when the heart is prepared to receive it. Then there's a transmission that goes far beyond information transfer.

Acquiring such knowledge doesn’t come from consuming more information, but by preparaing the heart to receive it, and be transformed by that knowledge.

Words alone don’t change people.

ʿAyn al-Quḍāt warns that if advice were just about words, books and sermons would be enough.

But people hear wise words all the time and remain unchanged.

Real transformation happens when the heart is prepared through dhikr (remembrance) and…

— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics) March 19, 2025

I've experienced this myself. Someone says a single sentence. I feel something shift inside.

There's a before and after.

Before those words, I saw the world one way. After, everything looks different.

It's not that I learned new facts. I was transformed from the inside out.

This is why sitting with wise people changes you. Reading about wisdom never can. Why a single conversation shifts your perspective. While a library of books leaves you unchanged.

Why This Matters Now

This distinction matters because our education system still confuses knowledge with information. The wider world does too.

Information is important. No doubt. But we need to make the distinction clear.

AI will generate enormous amounts of information. The kind of information that will pull our attention from all sides. It can be overwhelming. People think they have to consume more information to be knowledgeable.

But that's not true.

What's really important is knowledge that changes us from within. If that end goal is clear, we can use AI for our benefit. We won't be overwhelmed by it.

We'll know what matters. We'll seek transformation, not just information. We'll use AI as a tool, not a master.

The light that transforms the heart remains uniquely human.

It's transmitted through relationship. Received through preparation. Recognized by its fruits: wisdom, humility and awe of the Almighty.

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