In his famous futuristic dystopian novel 1984, published in 1949, George Orwell envisioned the dangers of a monolithic government armed with artificial intelligence.
A party led by Big Brother uses ubiquitous technology to constantly monitor and advertise to obedient citizens of Oceania.
In Oceania, a terrifying tandem of technology and man-intoxicating power is being used to rewrite history, control society, shatter the human mind, and entrench the party forever.
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The main character, Winston Smith, works under the ironic name of the Ministry of Truth, a job he hates. He dreams of freedom to think, act, write and love.
The totalitarian scenario described in “1984” and the technology to enforce it looked like science fiction 75 years ago.
“1984” author George Orwell was reportedly among those listed by Prevent as potential triggers for right-wing extremism. (Ulstein image via Getty Images)
But today, with the advent of artificial intelligence and the harsh warnings by Elon Musk and other tech industry’s brightest minds about its dangers, they seem more likely.
Digital devices are already constantly tracking our movements and actions.
Artificial intelligence is probably on the verge of predicting how we think and act, experts say.
“My brother is watching you.” — George Orwell, “1984”
The ‘1984’ warning has become more ominous in recent years after proving his eagerness to partner with big governments to influence elections and quell dissent.
Books that warn about these very scenarios could also be targeted by governments armed with technology to track dissent.
According to The Spectator, Orwell was recently added to a list compiled by British government officials whose work was allegedly shared by people sympathetic to the “far right and Brexit.”
Artificial intelligence has the power to challenge or rewrite known truths, experts warn. (Getty Images)
Ten warnings from ‘1984’ seem more prescient and more urgent than ever.
1. Wall screens know what you’re doing
“The equipment (called telescreens) could be dimmed, but there was no way to turn it off completely,” Orwell said of Oceania’s consumer electronics, now recognized as television. writing.
In the late 1940s, few households in the United States or England owned a television, but Orwell had already seen the potential of surveillance.
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“You may not be aware, but your TV knows and shares a lot of information about you,” Consumer Reports noted in 2021. “We have found that we cannot stop all data collection.”
2. History will be undone and rewritten for the benefit of the nation
“He who controls the past controls the future,” Orwell wrote. “He who controls the present controls the past.”
This undated engraving shows the approval of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Philip Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The phrase “all men are created equal” is often used but difficult to define. (AP photo)
Thomas Jefferson and his words from the Declaration of Independence such as “All men are created equal” were either recast or canceled in “1984.”
“Jefferson’s words would turn into a panegyric about absolute government,” Orwell writes, but only fragments exist as the Declaration of Independence is slowly being erased.
3. Technology replaces the rule of law for political purposes
In Oceania, where society exists only to support governments, the legal system is outdated.
Orwell discussed the phenomenon when Smith opened his diary to pour out his thoughts and then pondered the dire consequences of his actions.
“Nothing was illegal because the law was gone.” — Orwell
“This was not illegal (nothing was illegal because the law was gone),” Orwell wrote.
“However, if found, it was reasonably certain that they would be punished with the death penalty, or at least 25 years in forced-labor camps.”
4. Use technology to savage the man who challenged the system
The residents of Oceania are fed a constant stream of digital hatred against anyone who dares to speak out against the party.
Protesters for journalists’ rights hold a German translation of George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ as they demonstrate in response to reports that the German government plans to step up online surveillance. . (Adam Berry/Getty Images)
“As usual, the face of Emanuel Goldstein, the enemy of the people, was projected onto the screen,” Orwell wrote of the office meeting.
“All subsequent crimes against the Party, all betrayals, sabotages, heresies and deviations arose directly from his teachings. He was somewhere still alive and conspiring. ”
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Orwell writes that Goldstein’s crime was to defend freedom of speech, press, assembly and thought.
5. Virtue is erased and replaced by an empty new language
Words such as honor, justice, morality, democracy, science and religion “simply ceased to exist” in Oceania, Orwell wrote.
“Some blanket words obscured them, and obscured them abolished them.”
Concepts like morality and religion are marginalized on social media, but new phrases quickly gain political power with their sudden and constant presence on the same platform.
Words such as honor, justice, morality, democracy, science and religion “simply ceased to exist.” — Orwell
Even if the words are not defined, speaking new phrases becomes a virtue in itself.
6. Worship of God will be replaced by Worship of the State
Oceania’s pre-existing belief in gods has been replaced by death cults that worship only parties, especially Big Brother.
“There is the same pyramid structure everywhere, the same worship of demigod leaders,” Orwell wrote. (Boonchai Wedmakawand via Getty Images)
Even meetings and words of faith are easily tracked by technology.
“There is the same pyramid structure everywhere, the same worship of demigod leaders,” Orwell wrote.
The dominant philosophy “usually goes by a Chinese name that translates as the worship of death, but is perhaps more aptly expressed as the obliteration of the self,” he added later.
7. Epic elite rule as cities crumble
“The Ministry of Truth…was astonishingly different from any other visible object,” Orwell wrote in “1984” of London’s most glorious building, describing the filth inhabited by ordinary people.
“It was a gigantic pyramidal structure of gleaming white concrete, rising from terrace to terrace… There were only three other buildings of a similar appearance and size in London.”
‘Orwell was right’ in reference to Orwell’s book ‘1984’ on November 28, 2020, as protesters marched in Lille’s Place de la République against the French government’s proposed global security bill. A protester holding up a cracked sign. (Sylvain Lefebvre/Getty Images)
They were the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Prosperity, he pointed out, and their respective names misrepresented their actual mission.
8. Basic facts are rewritten as tools of oppression
One of the party’s tenets in “1984” is 2 + 2 = 5.
A blatant fallacy in mathematics is the inability of those in positions of power to define the word “woman” or to downplay the long-known scientific realities of the two genders. In today’s world, it seems less shocking.
9. The family will be replaced by the state
In 1984, children are armed with technology to give them a peek into their lives and learn to pledge allegiance to their party over their parents.
“It was almost normal for people over 30 to be afraid of their children,” Orwell wrote.
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“There’s a good reason for that, as the little snoop eavesdropping by The Times – the phrase ‘child hero’ is commonly used – overheard the compromising remarks and the parents It is understandable that it took me less than a week to write the statement “I blamed us.” Thought police. “
10. “Big brother is watching”
“1984”‘s most famous phrase entered pop culture long before it became a reality.
ChatGPT chat screen and smartphone logo on a laptop computer located in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday, March 9, 2023. Pretty soon, email scams could be easy. This is a warning from British cybersecurity company Darktrace Plc. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Today’s TVs, computers, smartphones and even cars can already track our movements and even hear us.
The social media giant knows all about how we live and what we do.
Most experts agree that constant surveillance will become increasingly powerful and more pervasive due to advances in artificial intelligence.
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“Winston’s sounds above the very low whisper level are picked up by the telescreen,” Orwell wrote.
“Of course, there was no way of knowing if you were being watched at any given moment. How often or with what system the Thought Police were hooked up to individual wires was a guess.”
