{"id":2603964,"date":"2026-05-18T11:51:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/effective-altruists-to-maga-the-odd-origins-of-humans-firsts-ai-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T11:53:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:53:21","slug":"effective-altruists-to-maga-the-odd-origins-of-humans-firsts-ai-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/effective-altruists-to-maga-the-odd-origins-of-humans-firsts-ai-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective altruists to MAGA: The odd origins of Humans First&#8217;s AI campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feffective-altruists-to-maga-the-odd-origins-of-humans-firsts-ai-campaign%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2603964&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Monday\u2019s *Washington Secrets* piece focuses on the return of amy Kremer,a longtime Donald Trump booster,as she moves into the AI policy fight. It describes her involvement with an organization called Humans First, which initially framed AI regulation as too important for partisan politics. The article then says the effort abruptly ended and was rebranded under Kremer as a conservative \u201cAmerica First AI\u201d group pushing Trump to review and approve highly capable AI models before launch-an approach that has raised questions among some Trump allies about whether the group is genuinely grassroots or an \u201castroturf\u201d wrapper for big-money,Effective Altruism-linked influence.<\/p>\n<p>A central claim in the story is that Humans First traces back to work connected to AI-safety fundraising and figures associated with Effective Altruism, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abhorrent-76-republicans-vote-to-keep-carveouts-for-child-sex-change-groups-in-spending-package-14\/\" title=\"&#039;Abhorrent&#039;: 76 Republicans Vote to Keep Carveouts for Child Sex Change Groups in Spending Package\">including funding tied<\/a> to Open philanthropy and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. The article reports that supporters argue the connection is outdated and that Humans First was spun out by the time Kremer joined, while critics say the \u201cwrapper\u201d can be changed while underlying donors and strategy remain diffrent.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the newsletter includes shorter DC notes: a suggestion to take photos if you see Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and a religious-polish anecdote about Trump delivering a Bible passage during an evangelical worship day on the National Mall-said to be the same Scripture and even the same footage from an earlier video. It closes with links to reporting about Trump\u2019s cultural supporters (including Nicki Minaj), plus an opinion piece arguing MAGA women in Congress are driving a new wave of \u201cMeToo\u201d-style accountability dynamics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><strong><em>Welcome to Monday\u2019s edition of <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>. Today, we take a look at the return of Amy Kremer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-faux-whistleblower-rebekah-jones-boosters-apologize-after-she-admitted-she-lied\/\" title=\"Will Faux-Whistleblower Rebekah Jones&#039; Boosters Apologize After She Admitted She Lied?\">longtime booster<\/a> of Donald Trump, who is emerging as a player in the AI wars. Her outfit, Humans First, released a letter calling for careful regulation of the technology. But could she be the witting or unwitting conservative face of a movement launched by Effective Altruists? Plus, why you should always take photos of Pete Hegseth if you see him out and about around town!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dozens of New Yorkers gathered in a church hall in March, setting aside their political differences to unite against the way big tech and its wealthy owners were trying to foist <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/artificial-intelligence\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/artificial-intelligence\/\">artificial intelligence<\/a> on Americans.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4570167\/white-house-report-card-trump-china-trip-worries-home\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>White House report card: Trump\u2019s China excursion can\u2019t mask worries at home<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4568230\/trump-grip-match-xi-jinping-history-lessons\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Donald Trump\u2019s grip is no match for Xi Jinping\u2019s lessons in history<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4560425\/white-house-report-card-one-week-away-from-peace-iran-again\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>White House report card: One week away from peace in Iran, again<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>MAGA conservatives were represented by Joe Allen, a sidekick of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-bannon\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-bannon\/\"><strong>Steve Bannon<\/strong><\/a>. One of the organizers was Jeremy Ornstein, who rose to prominence with the anti-Trump Sunrise Movement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The meeting of Humans First was meant to show that AI was too important to be left to narrow party politics.<\/p>\n<p>Yet exactly a month later, the experiment was over. Humans First announced it was rebranding as an organization of \u201cgrassroots conservatives committed to fighting for an America First AI policy,\u201d helmed by Amy Kremer, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/2194461\/tea-party-express-chairman-amy-kremer-steps-down\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/2194461\/tea-party-express-chairman-amy-kremer-steps-down\/\">a Tea Party alumna<\/a> who became notorious for her role in organizing the January 6 rally beside the White House in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe same Big Tech billionaires who deplatformed President Trump and who silenced anyone who questioned the COVID narrative, now want the unfettered ability to develop dangerous Artificial Intelligence technology,\u201d she said in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.humansfirst.com\/amy-kremer-to-chair\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.humansfirst.com\/amy-kremer-to-chair\">the press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So what happened? <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn theory, it was a great idea, but in reality, it just wasn\u2019t going to work,\u201d Kremer told <em>Secrets <\/em>in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe left and the right operate in completely different ways. I mean, our lexicon is different, the way we operate, the way we work, it\u2019s completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone is convinced it was as simple as that.<\/p>\n<p>Humans First grew out of a project set up by the Center for AI Safety. Its early funding came from Open Philanthropy, financed by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz.<\/p>\n<p>He is part of the Effective Altruism movement. Its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >adherents mix progressive goals<\/a> with libertarian instincts to maximize their positive impact on society (while, it seems, retaining the right to make pots and pots of cash). Their voices are often the loudest in debates about AI safety, and they are particularly associated with Anthropic, an AI company that puts those concerns about risk at the heart of its business.<\/p>\n<p>The movement has poured billions of dollars into trying to shape the debate about the future of AI.<\/p>\n<p>The Bull Moose Project, an America First advocacy group, found the total added up to $5.9 billion during the past six years, funding left-of-center political causes, nonprofit grantmaking, lobbying, and dark money operations.<\/p>\n<p>But it also claimed that the movement had retained half a dozen Republican-connected lobbyists and firms \u201cto provide them cover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pattern is consistent: hire enough Republicans to claim bipartisanship while the operational staff, donors, and policy agenda remain overwhelmingly Democratic,\u201d it concluded.<\/p>\n<p>The idea is simple. In a Washington where the MAGA movement lives at the White House and where Republicans hold both chambers of Congress, conservative groups are the best way to ensure your message is heard.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Humans First made a fresh push. More than 60 figures loyal to Trump, including Bannon, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4572281\/conservative-group-trump-test-powerful-ai-models\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4572281\/conservative-group-trump-test-powerful-ai-models\/\">signed its letter<\/a> calling on Trump to examine and approve the most powerful new AI models before they are released.<\/p>\n<p>The role of Effective Altruists in Humans First\u2019s origin story has some Trump allies wondering if it is an \u201castroturf\u201d outfit, a way for big-money interests to hide their role behind a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-in-republican-incumbent-mike-garcia-defeats-democrat-christy-smith-in-ca25-15th-gop-pick-up\/\" title=\"JUST IN: Republican Incumbent Mike Garcia Defeats Democrat Christy Smith in CA25 - 15th GOP Pick-Up\">grassroots campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Jordan Schachtel, publisher of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dossier.today\/p\/astroturf-and-ea-dollars-how-ai-doomsayers\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.dossier.today\/p\/astroturf-and-ea-dollars-how-ai-doomsayers\">The Dossier<\/a>, claimed the group had been packaged to sell a regulatory program to conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou cannot change the ideology of an authentic movement, but you can change the wrapper on a product,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Kremer rejected the idea, saying Moskovitz had not donated money to CAIS for several years and that Humans First had been spun out by the time she joined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have not taken any money from him. I don\u2019t know who he is. I don\u2019t know him,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd actually, I mean, I\u2019m out there raising money right now. Which we feel good about because the polling shows the American people are with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kremer said she was excited to be working on what would likely be the most important issue of her lifetime. She was horrified to learn about how big AI was pouring money into lobbying groups trying to shape the debate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not for sale,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I do something, I pour my whole heart and soul into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said she had become involved out of concern at the growing number of stories about children manipulated by chatbots, or adults getting help to commit crimes or take their own lives from AI engines.<\/p>\n<p>It is a family-first agenda, she said, that chimed neatly with Trump\u2019s own positions. No political gymnastics were needed to develop a MAGA case for regulating the technology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people that are writing the grifter stories, they are the ones that are the grifters,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I have learned over the past couple of months is the number of people that have taken money from big AI and won\u2019t dare speak out because they\u2019ve been bought and paid for.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hegseth-says-cheese\">Hegseth says \u2018cheese\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>A <em>Secrets<\/em> source is in touch to describe the scene at Frager\u2019s, Capitol Hill\u2019s best-loved hardware and garden store, over the weekend. While they were shopping for plants on Sunday, a small motorcade of black SUVs pulled up, disgorging Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and family onto the sidewalk.<\/p>\n<p>Onlookers were quick to pull out phones to document the moment, as Hegseth picked up a canister of butane, no doubt lining up an afternoon of grilling.<\/p>\n<p>The snappers included an older gent, who asked Secret Service whether there was any problem with taking pictures of a VIP.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, he loves it,\u201d came the reply.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-so-good-he-read-it-twice\">So good he read it twice<\/h2>\n<p>Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall on Sunday for an evangelical-style day of worship, including readings from prominent Trump administration figures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump, who is not known for quoting the Bible,\u201d reported the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/religion\/2026\/05\/17\/thousands-expected-rededicate-250-prayer-jubilee\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/religion\/2026\/05\/17\/thousands-expected-rededicate-250-prayer-jubilee\/\"><em>Washington Post<\/em> slightly sniffily<\/a>, \u201cread a passage from Scripture in which God promises to heal the ancient Israelites if they agree to pray and humble themselves before God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If that sounds rather familiar, that\u2019s because it is rather familiar. The passage was from 2 Chronicles, Chapter 7, when God responds to King Solomon after the completion of the Temple.<\/p>\n<p>It includes the verse: <em>\u201cIf my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It was the exact same passage that Trump delivered in a video made for a marathon Bible-reading event last month. And in fact, it was the exact same footage with Trump seated at his desk in the Oval Office. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lunchtime-reading\">Lunchtime reading<\/h2>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/nicki-minaj-trump-fan-d27d189c?st=zDS3w3&#038;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/nicki-minaj-trump-fan-d27d189c?st=zDS3w3&#038;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\"><strong>How Nicki Minaj became Trump\u2019s \u2018No. 1 fan\u2019<\/strong><\/a>: The alternative headline might be how a 29-year-old\u00a0former campaign staffer named Alex Bruesewitz\u00a0scouts stars and influencers to back the president\u2026 and how she weighed in with thoughts on ending the government shutdown.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/18\/opinion\/maga-women-congress-metoo.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jVA.PhJS._2rz7EfA6_KV&#038;smid=url-share\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/18\/opinion\/maga-women-congress-metoo.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jVA.PhJS._2rz7EfA6_KV&#038;smid=url-share\"><strong>MAGA Women are leading a #Me2.0 in Washington<\/strong><\/a>: Last time around, it was Democratic women. This time, think Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who drove the resignations of two of their colleagues last month.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>You are reading <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#fe8d9b9d8c9b8a8dbe899f8d969790998a91909b869f9397909b8cd09d9193\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"e291878190879691a29583918a8b8c85968d8c879a838f8b8c8790cc818d8f\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a> with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you\u2019d like to sign up, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&#038;b=01%2F21%2F2026&#038;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&#038;d=25812206&#038;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Monday\u2019s Washington Secrets: Amy Kremer returns, urging careful AI regulation-could she be a front for Effective Altruists?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2603965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24137749172919.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[79862,79863,79864,5656,40146],"class_list":["post-2603964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai-campaign","tag-effective-altruism","tag-humans-first","tag-maga","tag-political-activism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24137749172919.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2603964"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2603968,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603964\/revisions\/2603968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2603965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2603964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2603964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2603964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}