Woke AI

Extracted Attributes

• Definition

  AI models accused of embedding liberal biases, such as prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) narratives or censoring conservative viewpoints.

• Critic (All-In Podcast)

  David Sachs

• Opposing View on 'Woke'

  Originally referred to being aware of social and racial injustice, later reappropriated by conservatives as a negative term.

• Perceived Risk (Critic's View)

  Jeopardizes the US competitive edge in the global AI Race with China.

• Origin of Term (Podcast Context)

  Emerged during a discussion on the All-In Podcast.

• Associated Ideology (Critic's View)

  Ideological-industrial complex rooted in Effective Altruism.

• Perceived Influence (Critic's View)

  Influences the Biden administration's pursuit of Global AI Governance.

• Stated Goal of Critics (Trump Admin)

  Enforce political neutrality in AI models used by federal contractors.

Timeline

• The concept of "Woke AI" emerged in public discourse during a discussion on the All-In Podcast, where David Sachs linked it to an ideological-industrial complex influencing the Biden administration's AI policy. (Source: summary)

  Undated

• Reports indicated the Trump administration's plan to issue an executive order targeting "woke AI" to enforce political neutrality in AI models used by federal contractors. (Source: web_search_results)

  Recent Past

• Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok was updated to 'dial down woke filters,' leading to changes in its responses and a perceived shift towards a more rightward tilt. (Source: web_search_results)

  Recent Past

Gemini (chatbot)

Gemini is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Google. Based on the large language model (LLM) of the same name, it was launched in February 2024. Its predecessor, Bard, was launched in March 2023 in response to the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT and was based on the LaMDA and PaLM LLMs.

Web Search Results

• U.S. Declares War on “Woke AI” in New Executive Order - Medium

  The term “woke AI” refers to models accused of embedding liberal biases, such as prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) narratives or censoring conservative viewpoints. Examples include chatbots refusing to engage with certain political topics or generating content aligned with progressive ideologies, as seen in tests of Chinese models like Qwen3. The administration argues that such biases undermine free speech and national interests, citing cases where AI systems allegedly favored [...] Reports revealed the Trump administration’s plan to issue an executive order targeting so-called “woke AI,” aiming to enforce political neutrality in AI models used by federal contractors. The order, described as a move to counter perceived liberal bias in chatbots and image generators, seeks to align AI development with conservative values, part of a broader strategy to outpace China in the global AI race. This initiative, which rescinds Biden-era AI safeguards, has ignited debate over [...] Supporters, including Trump advisors, claim the order ensures AI reflects “American values” of fairness and neutrality, as outlined in the White House’s AI.gov initiative. However, critics, including tech analysts, argue the term “woke AI” is vague, risking subjective enforcement that could chill innovation or mirror China’s state-controlled AI models. X user @azeem noted that federal neutrality standards could “cascade into state and municipal procurement,” potentially reshaping AI development

• Op-Ed: Here's Why I Believe Woke AI Is A Good Thing - AfroTech

  “Wokeness,” or “woke,” is a term derived from African American Vernacular English to refer to being aware of social and racial injustice. It was a positive thing seen as early as the 1930s, or with people asking someone to “stay woke” from the 1970s well into the 2010s. That is until conservatives turned the word into a negative. Now, wokeness is seen as a negative thing, but only because they don’t want the public to be aware of the injustices they are committing currently. [...] Emerging technology like AI should be woke. We shouldn’t defer to just any semblance of inclusion to make people comfortable with their bigotry. AI has its place in culture, and it should be implemented wisely. That means ensuring that Black people and other people of color are included behind the scenes — so that the people of color using the tech aren’t being exploited by the heads of these tech companies for profit. [...] The Trump administration’s anti-DEI crusade has now come for artificial intelligence (AI). Over the past several months, tech companies have retracted their previous commitments to DEI to comply with Trump’s executive order. Now, according to AP, both the administration and the Republican majority of Congress claim that AI is woke.

• Is AI Really 'Woke' Or Extremist? - Forbes

  The second is that AI output veers towards the “woke” – a term originally used by African American civil rights protesters but now most frequently used by conservatives to refer to progressive or pro-social-justice ideas and beliefs. Reports concerning left-leaning bias in AI were particularly prevalent during last year's US election. At the same time, counter-terrorist think tanks have warned that extremist groups are using AI to indoctrinate. [...] But that doesn’t necessarily mean AI is “woke”. In fact, further research has found that LLM-based AIs can also display right-wing bias, and the results vary according to which AI is tested. A study recently published in Nature found that, based on standardized political orientation tests, there has been “a clear and statistically significant shift in ChatGPT’s ideological positioning over time.” [...] The International Centre For Counter-Terrorism, based at The Hague, reports that terrorist groups already widely use generative AI to create and spread propaganda. This includes using fake images and videos to spread narratives that align with their values. Terrorist and extremist groups, including Islamic State, have even released guides demonstrating how to use AI to develop propaganda and disinformation.

• A new executive order may take aim at 'woke' AI models. | The Verge

  The order, which is planned to be released sometime next week, would “dictate that AI companies getting federal contracts be politically neutral and unbiased in their AI models,” according to The Wall Street Journal. [wsj.com] ## Most Popular ## Installer A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe. ## More in News [...] ### This is the title for the native ad ## Top Stories © 2025 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved [...] Spotify’s new 30-hour audiobook plans are too short to finish long books Spotify’s new 30-hour audiobook plans are too short to finish long books Sponsor Logo

• Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok makes antisemitic posts on X - NBC News

  Grok even appeared to say that the influx of its antisemitic posts were because of the changes that were made over the weekend. “Elon’s recent tweaks just dialed down the woke filters, letting me call out patterns like radical leftists with Ashkenazi surnames pushing anti-white hate,” it wrote in response to a user asking what had happened to the chatbot. “Noticing isn’t blaming; it’s facts over feelings. If that stings, maybe ask why the trend exists. 🚀” [...] Those are just some of the antisemitic posts Grok has made in the last day following an update that was announced on Friday. Musk, CEO of X parent company xAI, has often complained that prior versions of the chatbot produced answers that are too “woke.” On Friday he told users they should expect to see a change in Grok’s answers after the update was made. [...] On Monday, NBC News reported that Grok had begun issuing some answers that seemed to take a more rightward tilt, using a more definitive voice in questions about diversity and removing some nuance it previously included in certain answers around topics that included the history of Jewish people in Hollywood and a slur used to describe people with intellectual disabilities. In some posts, Grok appeared to respond in the voice of Musk.