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 good grades and you’ll be 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" because they didn’t speak the language or conformed with the modern worldview.
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 is 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 is it the most knowledgable? Then what’s the difference between AI machines and humans?
It became more clear to me that what we call "knowledge" is actually just information, or at best just reasoned 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 first gives him information and then creates an experience. One that transforms the king from within.
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.
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.
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.”
Knowledge isn't information. Knowledge is like light that transforms the heart.
But how can one acquire true knowledge?
True knowledge isn’t something you simply get by consuming more information.
It is received when your heart is prepared to take it in.
In that readiness, there’s a transmission that goes far beyond any exchange of facts.
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 in a way reading about wisdom never can.
A single conversation can shift 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. And people think they have to consume more information to be knowledgeable, and compete with AI.
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.
Because 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 is uniquely human.
It's transmitted through relationship. Received through preparation. Recognized by its fruits: wisdom, humility and awe of the Almighty.
This has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm curious about your experience.
Have you ever had one of those moments where someone said something and it just clicked? Where you felt transformed from the inside out?
Share your thoughts below.