Donald Trump’s “action plan” for artificial intelligence — his proposals for the country’s AI-driven future — is exposing fault lines in MAGA world, as some of his most vocal supporters fret over an increasingly technocratic agenda.
The plan is essentially a list of goodies for anti-diversity, disinformation-peddling tech types who backed Trump — such as Elon Musk and Bill Ackman — as they try to increase their wealth and entrench their power and influence across the U.S.
As journalist Parker Malloy explained in her blog The Present Age, the plan calls for stripping references to “misinformation,” “diversity, equity and inclusion” and “climate change” from the country’s official AI standards. It also seeks to fast-track permitting for new data centers — some of which, like Musk’s, have drawn controversy and civil rights lawsuits over their tendency to pollute local communities and strain their resources.
The plan also endorses withholding federal money from states with “burdensome” AI regulations, which is essentially a version of a widely unpopular 10-year moratorium on AI regulation that was stripped from the GOP’s recently passed megabill after bipartisan backlash.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., denounced the plan, writing on X that she has “many concerns.” She specifically noted data centers’ strain on resources and the punishment for states with AI regulations.
Meanwhile, Trump ally Steve Bannon posted a video in which he mocked “these AI tech bros” who claim deregulation is necessary to compete with China — while many of them continue to do business with China.
Ahead of the plan’s official announcement, Bannon had addressed the devastating impact that data centers can have on local resources and infrastructure during a conversation about Trump’s proposal. His guest, the conservative tech-focused author Joe Allen, denounced the administration’s plan to punish states that regulate AI.
The next day, Allen embodied the right-wing critique of Trump’s AI plans when he said: “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.”
The relationship between MAGA movement originalists of Bannon’s ilk and latecomer tech bros who’ve been welcomed into the MAGA fold has been tenuous for some time. And as Trump’s agenda facilitates the desires of the wealthy and power-hungry technocrats who backed him, it’s clearly making some of the president’s staunchest backers uneasy.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
