Tech Investors Fund Opposing Campaigns in New York AI Regulation Primary
A New York Assemblyman's congressional primary has become a focal point for the debate over artificial intelligence regulation, drawing significant financial investment from opposing factions of the tech industry. Investors in OpenAI have contributed over $7 million to a group campaigning against Assemblyman Alex Bores, who spearheaded a state AI safety law. Conversely, political groups partly funded by Anthropic have spent more than $10 million to support Bores' campaign, turning the Manhattan race into a proxy battle over the future of AI governance.
New York Assemblyman Alex Bores is currently running in a June 23 Democratic primary for a U.S. House district in Manhattan, seeking a promotion to Congress. His candidacy has brought to light a significant financial contest involving major players in the technology sector, stemming from Bores's prior work on artificial intelligence legislation.
A political group named Leading the Future, underwritten by investors in OpenAI, has spent $7.6 million on advertisements opposing Bores. Donors to this group include prominent Silicon Valley figures, venture capitalists, and individuals associated with the administration of former President Donald Trump. Leading the Future has stated its support for AI regulation but argues that Congress, not state legislatures, should take the lead.
In response, political groups partly funded by Anthropic, a developer of AI chatbots, have allocated over $10 million to support Bores's campaign. Chris Larsen, a crypto billionaire and Anthropic investor, has also pledged an additional $3.5 million to Bores.
This election has evolved into a proxy battle reflecting differing views within the tech industry on how government should approach artificial intelligence and its regulation. Bores previously worked for Palantir but resigned during Trump's first term, citing concerns over the company's work on immigration enforcement.
Bores's notable legislative achievement is the RAISE Act, a New York state law considered a comprehensive attempt to regulate AI. This act mandates that major AI companies submit reports detailing safeguards against "catastrophic" risks that could impact more than 50 people. Leading the Future initially opposed the original proposal but ultimately acceded to a modified version that was signed into law. The group, however, has described Bores's views on regulation as extreme.
According to Fortune, the core divide expressed in this primary election revolves around the issue of AI regulation.
