The AI industry is following in the footsteps of crypto, putting money behind candidates considered capable of advancing its regulatory objectives. While industry giants are expected to spend millions before the upcoming midterms, not everyone is on the same side.
AI Companies Set To Spend Over $145 Million To Support Candidates In The Upcoming Elections
The artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as large as it has grown, is set to follow the same playbook that crypto executed to bring friendly candidates into Congress.
According to Bloomberg, AI titans like Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman have invested over $50 million to support candidates with a soft-touch regulation stance on AI through a super PAC denominated Leading the Future.
The organization is set to pour over $125 million into congressional picks that favor a “positive, forward-looking agenda for AI innovation,” with the ultimate goal of creating “enduring infrastructure and momentum that ensures AI leadership remains a central focus in U.S. politics to advance good AI policy,” according to its website.
In the same way that Fairshake, the renowned crypto super PAC, the strategy is to stay far from the convoluted issues with AI and steer the conversation towards economic opportunities and immigration, without mentioning the technology at all.
The group estimates spending up to $125 million to support candidates that favor its vision of AI, preparing the field for an upcoming escalation of AI regulation in a country where AI investments have ballooned dramatically during the last three years. This focus is bipartisan, with the PAC having two affiliated PACs, one Republican and one Democrat.
Nonetheless, not everyone in the AI industry favors this view. Anthropic, another AI powerhouse, has recently poured $20 million into Public First, a super PAC launched by Former U.S. Representatives Chris Stewart and Brad Carson.
Public First will promote an agenda that “prioritizes the public interest and promotes transparency and safeguards for industry,” according to its founders. The organization hopes to raise $50 million before midterms, and as Leading the Future, it will have a bipartisan focus.
FAQ
What unprecedented strategy is the AI industry adopting in U.S. politics?
The AI sector is following the crypto industry’s approach by investing in political candidates through the super PAC Leading the Future, supporting pro-AI regulation.
How much investment has been made to support favored political candidates?
AI leaders like Marc Andreessen and Greg Brockman have contributed over $50 million to support candidates with a favorable stance toward AI, aiming to spend up to $125 million overall.
What is the primary focus of the Leading the Future PAC’s agenda?
The PAC intends to promote a “positive, forward-looking agenda for AI innovation,” steering conversations towards economic opportunities rather than the complexities of AI technology.
What alternative view exists within the AI industry regarding political engagement?
Anthropic has invested $20 million in the Public First PAC, advocating for a public interest agenda that emphasizes transparency and safeguards for the industry, planning to raise $50 million before the midterms.