Some of Donald Trump’s most outspoken fans are worried about an increasingly technocratic agenda, and his “action plan” for artificial intelligence—his ideas for the nation’s AI-driven future—is highlighting divisions within MAGA.
The proposal is basically a list of goodies for Trump-supporting, anti-diversity, disinformation-peddling tech types like Elon Musk and Bill Ackman who want to get richer and solidify their influence and power in the United States.
The plan asks for removing references to “misinformation,” “diversity, equity and inclusion,” and “climate change” from the nation’s official AI guidelines. Additionally, it aims to expedite the permitting process for new data centers, some of which, like Musk’s, have generated controversy and civil rights lawsuits due to their propensity to deplete local communities’ resources and pollute them.
The proposal also favors withholding federal money from states with “burdensome” AI laws, which is effectively a variation of a hugely unpopular 10-year moratorium on AI regulation that was dropped from the GOP’s recently enacted megabill following bipartisan criticism.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., criticized the idea, stating on X that she had “many concerns.” She notably mentioned data centers strain on resources as well as the consequence for states with AI regulations.
Meanwhile, Trump friend Steve Bannon uploaded a video mocking “these AI tech bros” who argue deregulation is required to compete with China, despite the fact that many of them still conduct business with China.
Before the idea was officially announced, Bannon discussed the destructive impact that data centers may have on local resources and infrastructure. His guest, conservative tech author Joe Allen, criticized the administration’s plan to punish states that regulate artificial intelligence.
When Allen said the following day: “My hope is that the Trump administration does not close off the borders of the United States, only to open the gates of hell within and unleash horrible AI systems upon the populace,” he embodied the right-wing criticism of Trump’s AI plans.
For a while now, there has been a shaky relationship between latecomer tech bros who have been accepted into the MAGA fold and originalists of the MAGA movement like Bannon. Furthermore, Trump’s program is obviously unsettling some of his most ardent supporters since it serves the interests of the affluent and power-hungry technocrats who supported him.
