“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

- George Orwell

COMMENT | George Orwell was right about “control" but in 2025, he is probably wrong about “who”. It may not be “Big Brother”, that enigmatic, all-seeing leader of Oceania, a totalitarian state controlled by the Party, who will get to lay his hands on the past, present and future. 

It could well be artificial intelligence, AI.

Yes, AI will surely usher in a new information age, mankind’s fifth. The first information age, lasting a few millennia, was the voice protocol. Information was shared by shouting out loud. The louder, the better. And people with a good voice were often honoured and revered.