More than 60 Trump loyalists have signed a letter calling on the president to mandate government testing and approval of advanced AI systems before deployment, directly challenging the White House's lighter-touch regulatory stance on artificial intelligence.
The letter, organized by Humans First, a conservative advocacy group, was signed by Steve Bannon, former Trump official and host of the influential War Room podcast, along with conservative activists Amy Kremer and Brendan Steinhauser. It represents a rare break from Trump allies on a signature administration priority.
The signers frame the most powerful AI models as posing national security risks comparable to nuclear technology and commercial aviation. The letter specifically warns that advanced systems could soon be capable of assisting in bioweapon design, compromising critical infrastructure, or manipulating financial markets.
"We support proposed policies that require mandatory testing, evaluation, vetting, and government approval of potentially dangerous frontier AI systems before they are deployed," the letter states, framing the oversight as consistent with Trump's America First philosophy.
The push puts the MAGA faction in direct conflict with the prevailing White House strategy. Inside the administration, officials believe the United States will win the competition with China and other rivals by maintaining minimal regulation and actively rolling back state-level AI restrictions. Even those within the White House who acknowledge the value of testing new models have stepped back from endorsing formal government approval mechanisms.
Bannon has spent over a year warning the conservative base about potential mass job losses from AI automation. "This letter takes us next level," he told Axios. "The letter lays out that we must have mandatory testing and government approval."
The letter criticizes AI company executives as "unelected elites" experimenting on the public without sufficient safeguards, arguing that American strength depends on prioritizing public protection over corporate freedom to innovate.
The White House is reportedly considering several regulatory options as the next generation of AI models emerge. A sustained push from Trump's core supporters for stricter AI controls will make it harder for the administration to maintain its current hands-off approach without facing internal political resistance.
Author James Rodriguez: "This letter exposes a real fault line within Trump's coalition, and it's one the White House can't simply ignore."
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