What to Know:
- Top AI leaders funded a new $50M super PAC, Leading the Future, to support candidates who favor lighter AI regulation.
- The group is using the same election strategy that helped crypto PACs win key races in 2024.
- A rival PAC backed by AI safety advocates is pushing for stricter AI rules and oversight.
Top artificial intelligence leaders are stepping into US politics with a new $50 million super PAC that is copying the campaign strategy once used by the crypto industry. Their goal is to help elect members of Congress who support lighter rules for AI. The move comes at a time when public concern about AI is rising. Many voters worry that AI could replace jobs, increase energy use, and affect education and privacy. Instead of directly defending AI in campaign ads, the super PAC is using a different message, one that worked well for crypto groups in the 2024 elections.
Rather than focusing on the technology itself, the ads talk about broader issues like jobs, economic growth, and immigration. In some cases, the ads may not even mention AI at all. “They’re trying to be helpful in a campaign rather than talking about their own issue all the time,” said Republican political consultant Craig Murphy.
Copying Crypto’s 2024 Election Playbook
AI leaders are closely following the path taken by Fairshake, a pro-crypto super PAC that spent about $133 million during the 2024 election cycle. Fairshake backed candidates seen as friendly toward digital assets and helped defeat several lawmakers who were strongly against crypto.
Fairshake’s strategy was seen as highly effective. It supported winners in most of the races where it spent large amounts of money. That success showed tech industries that focused political spending can shape election outcomes. Leading the Future says it could spend as much as $125 million by Election Day. Its team includes some of the same political strategists who worked on crypto efforts, and some of the same donors have contributed money.
Bipartisan Support
Unlike many political groups, Leading the Future is spending on both Republicans and Democrats. It has created separate branches to support each party, aiming to build support no matter who controls Congress. Spokesman Jesse Hunt said the group supports leaders who want “a smart national regulatory framework for AI” and policies that grow jobs while keeping the US competitive with China. He added that the group wants rules that protect consumers “without ceding America’s technological future to extreme ideological gatekeepers.”
Texas, home of OpenAI’s massive Stargate project, is one of the states where Leading the Future has already jumped in. Its Republican arm, American Mission, has spent nearly $750,000 on ads touting Gober, a political lawyer who’s previously worked for Elon Musk’s super PAC and is in a crowded GOP primary field for an open House seat. The ads hail Gober as a “MAGA warrior” who “will fight for Texas families, lowering everyday costs.” Gober’s campaign website lists “ensuring America’s AI dominance” as one of his top campaign priorities. Gober’s campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment.
In New York, Leading the Future’s Democratic arm, Think Big, has spent $1.1 million on television ads and messages attacking Alex Bores, a New York state assemblyman who has called for tougher AI safety protocols and is now running for an open congressional seat encompassing much of central Manhattan. The ads seize on Democrats’ revulsion over Trump’s immigration crackdown and target Bores for his past work at Palantir Technologies Inc., which contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Think Big has circulated mailings and text messages citing Bores’ work with Palantir, urging voters to “Reject Bores’ hypocrisy on ICE.”
Pushback From Safety Groups
Not everyone agrees with the lighter-rule approach. A separate super PAC called Public First has launched to support candidates who want stricter AI oversight. The group is aiming to raise $50 million and recently received a $20 million pledge from AI company Anthropic.
Brad Carson, a former congressman helping lead Public First, said the crypto-style political push forced AI safety supporters to organize. “The fact that they tried to replay the crypto battle means that we have to engage,” Carson said. “Leading the Future was the forcing function.” Poll numbers suggest many voters want tighter controls. According to recent survey data, more than half of US adults worry the government will not go far enough in regulating AI.
What’s Next?
Large tech firms are already slowly and steadily increasing their political spending. Several companies with major AI stacks, like big cloud and chip firms already operate their own political action committees, while others are funding state-level efforts. AI is quickly moving from a tech topic to a campaign issue. With crypto proving that focused political funding can change races, AI leaders are now betting the same model will work again.
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