A coalition of more than 60 conservative allies is calling on President Donald Trump to require mandatory testing and government approval of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems before they reach the public.
The letter, organized by Humans First — a conservative group that advocates for technology serving people rather than replacing them — was signed by prominent Trump ally Steve Bannon, along with conservative activists Amy Kremer and Brendan Steinhauser, putting the vocal MAGA faction at direct odds with the White House's approach to AI regulation, reported Axios.
"This letter takes us next level," Bannon told Axios. "The letter lays out [that] we must have mandatory testing and government approval."
Bannon, who hosts the influential "War Room" podcast, has spent more than a year sounding alarms within MAGA circles about AI's potential to devastate American jobs.
"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," the letter states. "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."
The letter also takes direct aim at AI company executives, accusing unnamed "unelected elites" of experimenting on the public without safeguards or accountability — framing stricter regulation as an "America First" imperative.
"America did not become the greatest nation in the world by allowing unelected elites to experiment on the public without safeguards or accountability," the letter states. "America First means American strength, American security, and the protection of our people first."
The prevailing White House view favors a light regulatory touch and has moved to roll back most state-level AI legislation, and even administration officials open to AI evaluation have stopped short of endorsing formal government approval requirements.