MAGA Allies Urge President Trump to Require Testing of Powerful AI Models

A group of more than 60 allies of President Trump sent a letter urging him to require testing and government approval of the most powerful AI models before they are released. The letter was organized by Humans First, a conservative group whose tagline states that technology should serve humans and not replace them.

It was signed by Steve Bannon and conservative activists Amy Kremer and Brendan Steinhauser.

The letter compares the most powerful AI systems to nuclear systems and aviation. It states that systems which can assist in designing bioweapons, breaking into critical infrastructure, or manipulating financial markets should receive the same level of scrutiny.

The letter calls for mandatory testing, evaluation, vetting, and government approval of frontier AI systems before deployment. It states that America did not become the greatest nation by allowing unelected elites to experiment on the public without safeguards.

Steve Bannon told Axios that the letter takes the issue to the next level and that mandatory testing and government approval are required.

The letter puts some members of the MAGA base at odds with the White House's hands-off approach to AI. Inside the White House, the prevailing view is that America will win the AI race by keeping regulation light and knocking down most state-level AI laws. As Axios recently reported, the White House is weighing several options to step up AI regulation as the most powerful models come online.