AI protesters could become ‘extremists,’ warns secret Trump admin security report

The Trump administration is circulating a new report planning to curb anti-technology extremism. According to a report by Wired, the Trump administration is circulating an unpublished 1000-page document from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and fusion centres to surveil the brand of people whom it perceives as a threat. These people belong to “anti-American,” “anti-Christian,” and "anti-capitalist” beliefs.

"The chaotic atmosphere that may result from emergent AI technology in the next five years may fuel large-scale protests that devolve into civil unrest and anti-tech violent extremist activity, especially in large urban areas such as New York City," read the report by a New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau, as obtained by Wired. The report refers to Ziz Laota, an extreme nationalist who had been at the centre of a violent cult-like group themed around a brand of nationalism driven by fears surrounding the cataclysmic potential of AI.

The bureau warns that holding paranoid AI views might proliferate in the aftermath of Zizians' trial due to the "attempt to reason the belief that a godlike incarnation of AI is imminent," and belief that "humans must best use their time in the present to devote themselves to ensuring its compliance with human morality, or face existential consequences for failing to do so."

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However, a much less extreme wave of protest against the AI buildout is happening in the US. This is specifically targeting the AI and cloud data centres, which have severely impacted the water quality and noise levels across communities. These projects have faced severe pushback from grassroots movements and environmental groups, halting tens of billions worth of projects.

The FBI told Wired in a statement that the bureau targets and “investigates individuals who commit or intend to commit violence and criminal activity that constitutes a federal crime or poses a threat to national security,” and added that it had “no additional comment.” The Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the matter. This comes as the Trump administration has recently forsaken an executive order to regulate artificial intelligence companies, some of which have heavy personal investments from Trump. Trump has tried, and failed, on numerous occasions to bar states from regulating AI companies. But branding all protests as anti-tech extremism is a sweeping measure which civil liberties groups claim is criminalising protected speech and assembly.