Fewer than seven days after launching a new AI search engine powered by Perplexity, Truth Social’s AI tool finds itself in conflict with its most prominent co-founder. Truth Search AI, an answer bot grounded in the Perplexity Sonar API, was introduced by Trump Media and Technology Group to increase the information access for users and offer direct, contextually relevant answers with clear citations. Despite a promise to foster a wider information landscape, representatives from Perplexity pointed out that the sources for the search tool could be tailored by its administrators. Initial evaluations by Axios revealed that Truth Search AI’s responses appeared restricted to traditionally conservative sources such as FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com, unlike the standard engine of Perplexity.
Nevertheless, even with this selection, Truth Search AI is not resonating with the usual narratives of the Trump Administration. A study conducted by the Washington Post discovered that the AI tool frequently contradicted assertions made by the President, rather than corroborating claims he previously mentioned on Truth Social as accurate, including the effects of foreign tariffs on American customers and the necessity for federal involvement in what Trump describes as a crime-infested national capital.
“Their own AI is now being too ‘woke’ for them,” remarked David Karpf, a professor at George Washington University. The tool still mainly referenced conservative entertainment and news outlets, yet its conclusions might not align with expectations. Trump Media chose not to respond to the Washington Post, dismissing their conclusions as “transparently asinine” journalism by “irrelevant partisan hacks.”
As part of what he terms a government-wide “truth-seeking” initiative, Trump has recently condemned what he labels “Woke AI,” or Large Language Models he perceives as “ideologically biased” and motivated by diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Last month, Trump signed an Executive Order to advocate for “unbiased AI” in federal contracting and national security. Simultaneously, the administration has secured multiple agreements with leading AI companies to deliver services to the federal government, including $200 million Pentagon contracts with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Elon Musk-owned xAI.