GoKawiilAI companies have poured more than $20 million into a New York Democratic primary race that could shape what artificial intelligence policies the federal government ultimately adopts. The race in a Manhattan congressional district pits state Assemblyman and AI safety advocate Alex Bores against fellow Assemblyman Micah Lasher and John F. Kennedy grandson Jack Schlossberg.
Two major super PACs affiliated with AI companies are facing off in New York's 12th congressional district — the only congressional race so far where both political action committees are involved.
Leading the Future, whose backers include venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, and AI software company Perplexity, spent $8 million opposing Bores, who was a driving force in the state in winning passage of legislation requiring safety and security regulation for powerful AI models.
Countering that spending is Public First Action, which has gotten $20 million from Anthropic. The group has supported Bores to the tune of $11 million, according to Federal Election Commission data reviewed by CNBC on Monday.
Public First Action President Brad Carson said while the group doesn't reveal its donors, it has gotten support from employees at major AI companies, whom he described as "mid-level people who are very scared about where the technology is going."
The massive spending in one House race has become a proxy battle for the future of AI regulation in the U.S. and how heavy a hand government should take as the industry grows and AI gains a broader foothold in society.
Leading the Future supports lighter guardrails around the burgeoning AI industry than Public First Action does.
Leading the Future's co-leader, Josh Vlasto, said in a statement to CNBC that the PAC "supports passing a national regulatory framework for AI that creates jobs for American workers, helps America win the race against China, and includes strong guardrails that protects the safety of kids, users, and communities."