Key figures in the populist wing of the Republican Party are growing uneasy about their own movement’s strong embrace of artificial intelligence. They worry the push to expand AI without meaningful guardrails could come back to hurt the working-class voters who helped shape the MAGA movement.
Their concerns are building at the same time President Donald Trump is working to rapidly accelerate the industry in a high-stakes race with China. This week, he ordered federal science agencies to deploy AI more aggressively and began exploring a controversial executive order that would block individual states from regulating the technology while Congress remains stalled.
Some of Trump’s closest allies are openly warning that the current path carries major risks. Sen. Josh Hawley said, “I don’t think we are doing enough to protect workers.” He added that while “Silicon Valley will get rich from this,” he worries about “blue-collar workers in my state.”
Steve Bannon, one of Trump’s most influential allies, has taken the warnings even further, calling AI the “most dangerous technology in the history of mankind.” He told ABC News that without safeguards, AI could create a “jobs apocalypse” that would devastate working people, including many Trump supporters.
The unease extends to the physical expansion of the industry. Some MAGA Republicans oppose the construction of large data centers and reject the idea of banning states from regulating AI. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene argued that “Banning states from regulating AI for 10 years is a gift to Big Tech and a disaster for American workers and states’ rights.”
On this issue, MAGA populists find themselves aligned with progressive critics. Sen. Bernie Sanders has repeatedly warned that automation and robotics will give even more wealth and political influence to tech billionaires like Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. “It will mean even more wealth and even more political power for these guys at the top, while our democracy gets weaker and weaker,” Sanders said. “Working people will see a significant decline in their standard of living unless we turn this around.”
Recent layoffs across major tech companies are fueling fears about a weakening labor market and the possibility that AI is already making some workers unnecessary. Some economists insist the concerns are overstated, but others warn that a tech-driven recession is possible if the industry stumbles. David Sacks, Trump’s crypto and AI adviser, is urging continued investment, saying that “AI-related investment accounts for half of GDP growth,” and that any slowdown could trigger a recession.
Experts in the field are also sounding their own alarms. Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the “Godfather of AI,” warned that once machines become as capable as humans, “any job they might do can be done by AI.” Sen. Brian Schatz echoed fears for entry-level workers, saying they could face “mass unemployment.”
Even lawmakers in legal fields worry young professionals will be pushed out. Sen. John Kennedy said AI may not touch plumbing jobs but is already affecting coders and could change the legal profession.
Despite rising concern, Congress has made little progress on a national regulatory standard. Trump’s focus has remained on expanding the industry rather than slowing it down. Meanwhile, national security threats are growing as well.
A Chinese state-sponsored group recently used AI to launch the first large-scale cyberattack without significant human involvement. Sen. Chris Murphy reacted bluntly, warning, “Guys wake the f up. This is going to destroy us sooner than we think if we don’t make AI regulation a national priority tomorrow.”