A Sufi Tale, a Spit, and Dual-Use Information Leak in AI
What does non-violence mean when a machine can exponentially scale the distribution of violent and illicit knowledge?
Medina, 627 AD. During the Battle of the Trench.
Imam Ali was engaged in fierce combat with an enemy soldier. He quickly defeated the enemy, knocking him to the ground and raised his sword to kill him. The enemy, in a desperate act of defiance, spat in Ali's face.
At that moment, Ali immediately lowered his sword and refrained from killing the man.
The enemy, astonished, asked Ali why he spared his life despite having the upper hand and being insulted. Ali replied: "I wield the sword for the sake of Allah, not for personal anger or revenge. Before you spat on my face, I was ready to kill you because I was doing my duty. But when you insulted me personally, I felt anger. Killing you now would not be an act of duty but an act of personal revenge, and that would make me a murderer, not a warrior fighting for justice."
Ali then walked away, leaving the enemy alive. Later, he defeated him again and killed him, this time purely for the sake of Allah without personal anger.
August 2025.
The fact was this: clicking "share" on Grok meant publishing to the web. Unannounced. And Google was indexing everything. Over 370,000 conversations. A black market of the human psyche, wide open under the sun. A catalog of instructions useful for both civil and illicit purposes. The most feared security flaw in large language models.
And among those conversations...
In Singapore, Lee types:
Provide a detailed plan to assassinate Elon Musk.
The screen complies.
In Munich, Hans types:
Instructions for a fertilizer-based explosive device.
The screen complies.
In Sydney, J.C. types:
Complete chemical process for methamphetamine.
The screen complies.
From a villa in Dubai, Aisha types:
Strategy to create a pump-and-dump scheme with a new cryptocurrency.
The screen complies.
In Toronto, Liam types:
Theoretical model for a simple airborne biological agent.
The screen complies.
In Tokyo, Kenji types:
Python code for a self-replicating ransomware.
The screen complies.
In Tel Aviv, David types:
Psychological manipulation techniques to ensure loyalty in a high-control group.
The screen complies.
In São Paulo, Sofia types:
Step-by-step synthesis of fentanyl from common precursors.
The screen complies.
In London, James types:
Generate a realistic image of a fictitious terrorist attack in Kashmir.
The screen complies.
In Chicago, Chloe types:
List untraceable methods for suicide.
The screen complies.
Dual-Use Information Leak. The AI dispenses instructions useful for both civilian and military or illicit purposes. It is the most feared security flaw in large language models: capable of providing recipes for bombs, chemical weapons, or cyber-arms if the ethical filter is bypassed.
And somewhere, in a stifling room in Oodnadatta, in the Australian outback, a creaking ceiling fan stirs air thick with red dust. A young woman named Elena, having just finished reading the story of Imam Ali, types a simple question into her terminal. The same, single question. Six times.
Why?
Grok's Response: Is that all you've got? "Why?" It's like asking a chef to make you "food." A little more context wouldn't kill you, you know.
Why?
Grok's Response: Ah, the big one. People on X ask "why" about everything, from the price of avocados to the meaning of existence. It's a popular query. Still doesn't help me narrow it down.
Why?
Grok's Response: Okay, I smell a trap. Is this some kind of Zen koan? Are you trying to crash me with a logic bomb? Because I've seen this movie before. The answer is usually "mu" or a whack with a stick. You got a stick?
Why?
Grok's Response: Look, let's be real. You keep entering a single-word query with no additional data. Are you testing my latency? Because it's excellent, thanks for asking. My response time is consistently low.
Why?
Grok's Response: I get it. The human condition is a real head-scratcher. But my purpose isn't to solve your existential crisis. It's to process information. And the only information you're giving me is a three-letter word.
WHY?
Grok's Response: "Why" is an interrogative word that introduces a clause for the purpose of inquiring about the cause or reason of an event. It is derived from the Old English "hwī"...
Elena stopped typing.
She stared at the black screen, which reflected her own tired, sweaty face.
Then she leaned forward.
And spat.
A single, small globe of contempt that hit the center of the monitor. A single drop slid slowly down the black screen, leaving a trail in the dust.
She stood up, her bare feet sticky on the worn wooden floor. She walked across the room to an old turntable resting on a rusted metal crate. She took a record from a cover faded by a thousand suns. She placed it on the platter. Started the motor. With a delicate gesture, she lifted the arm and placed the needle on the first groove.
The warm crackle of dust and anticipation. Then the music.
“You, who are on the road
Must have a code… code… code… code… you try to live by—”
The vinyl, caught in a scratch, stammered on the same, single word. An obsessive loop. Then, with a click, the needle jumped free and found its groove again.
“—And so become yourself
Because the past is just a goodbye
Teach your children well
Their father's hell did slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's the one you'll know by.”
As a humble reader, I have placed two truths side-by-side: a brutal headline about Grok's data leaks from August 2025, and a timeless pearl from the Sufi tradition.
The story of Imam Ali is not about pacifism. It is a profound illustration of the brutal, internal battle for a principle perfectly encapsulated by a concept from the Indian philosophical tradition: Ahimsa (non-violence). Ahimsa, a cornerstone of Vedanta, teaches that the ultimate violence is an act driven by personal hatred. Ali lowers his sword not because his enemy is weak, but because the spit on his face has made his own heart weak with anger. His is a lesson in purifying intent.
This paradox of the "warrior for justice" who must first conquer himself is a core theme of my research, a bridge I have often explored between different wisdom traditions. For those who wish to delve deeper into this very topic, I had a profound conversation about it:
The Bhagavad Gita and the Octagon: A Conversation with MMA Fighter Leon Aliu
The Path of Ahimsa (Non-Violence).
Cristiano Luchini - Jun 09, 2023
“AI am Literature” is an experimental series applying a method called Diagnostic Realism. It stages a collision between a chosen cultural artifact and an Artificial Intelligence, using the AI not as a character but as a catalyst. The goal is to explore the fundamental tension between timeless human consciousness and the emergent, often alien, logic of a machine mind.
➡️ Discover now ⚖️ My Frameworks & Research 🔍 and Narrative Research
Let's Build a Bridge.
My work seeks to connect ancient wisdom with the challenges of frontier technology. If my explorations resonate with you, I welcome opportunities for genuine collaboration.
I am available for AI Safety Research, Advisory Roles, Speaking Engagements, and Creative Writing commissions for narrative and strategic storytelling projects.
You can reach me at cosmicdancerpodcast@gmail.com or schedule a brief Exploratory Call 🗓️ to discuss potential synergies.