OpenAI and Anthropic’s AI ad war propels obscure candidate into spotlight
· Tina Nguyen
Anthropic and OpenAI are burning through millions of dollars in a proxy war over AI regulation, but the unexpected winner might be the guy they're both targeting.…
Anthropic and OpenAI are burning through millions of dollars in a proxy war over AI regulation, but the unexpected winner might be the guy they're both targeting. The battleground is New York's 12th congressional district, where the Democratic primary wraps up this June. Both AI giants have been pouring cash into a super PAC called Leading the Future, funded by OpenAI, Palantir, and a16z executives. Their target: Alex Bores, a state assemblyman who was relatively unknown until recently.
Here's the irony. Bores wrote one of the country's first serious AI safety bills. Instead of staying in the shadows, he got Streisand-effected into the spotlight. The super PAC has spent millions attacking him, which only made more people pay attention to his work and his campaign. Now he's the de facto poster child for AI safety regulation, exactly the kind of notoriety that can win a primary.
The real story here isn't just about one election. It's about how the biggest names in AI are choosing to fight their political battles. They're not just lobbying. They're actively punishing politicians who try to regulate them, while rewarding those who don't. Bores is just the first test case. The question is whether this tactic backfires and creates a martyr for regulation, or whether it successfully scares off the next wave of would-be regulators. Either way, the primary in June will send a signal far beyond New York.