Scoop: 60+ MAGA allies tell Trump to vet AI before release

A group of more than 60 loyal allies of President Trump is urging him to test and approve the most powerful AI models before they're released, according to a new letter shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: The letter — signed by Steve Bannon and conservative anti-AI activists Amy Kremer and Brendan Steinhauser — puts a vocal faction of the MAGA base at odds with the White House's hands-off approach to AI.

• Inside the White House, the prevailing view is the opposite: that America will win the AI race by keeping regulation light and knocking down most state-level AI laws.
• Even administration officials who support testing and evaluating models have backed away from the idea that the government should approve them.

Bannon, a first-term Trump official who hosts the influential "War Room" podcast, has been warning MAGA for more than a year about possible job devastation from AI.

• "This letter takes us next level," Bannon tells Axios. "The letter lays out [that] we must have mandatory testing and government approval."

What they're saying: The letter — organized by Humans First, a conservative group whose tagline is "technology should serve humans ... not replace them" — compares AI to nuclear systems and aviation:

• "The most powerful AI systems, which can now, or soon will be able to, assist in designing bioweapons, breaking into critical infrastructure, or manipulating financial markets, should be treated with the same seriousness and care."
• "For this reason, we support proposed policies that require mandatory testing, evaluation, vetting, and government approval of potentially dangerous frontier AI systems before they are deployed. This is the sort of strong, principled, and pragmatic leadership you have shown throughout your presidency."

The letter takes a shot at the CEOs of AI companies, calling them "elites" without naming them specifically:

• "America did not become the greatest nation in the world by allowing unelected elites to experiment on the public without safeguards or accountability. America First means American strength, American security, and the protection of our people first."

What's next: As Axios recently reported, the White House is weighing several options to step up AI regulation as the most powerful models yet come online.

• A push by MAGA allies for stronger rules will get harder for the White House to ignore.

Go deeper: Read the letter