CNBC's Emily Wilkins reports on a super PAC backed by titans of the artificial intelligence industry, called “Leading the Future,” is targeting New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores, who co-sponsored the RAISE Act.

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A newly formed super PAC called Leading the Future, backed by major AI industry figures and firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI, and Palantir, has announced its first political target: New York State assemblyman Alex Boras. The PAC, which has raised $100 million, plans to support candidates from both parties who favor uniform federal AI regulations, while opposing state-level initiatives like an AI safety bill co-sponsored by Boras.

Boras, who has a background in technology, responded by fundraising against the PAC's opposition and criticizing its stance. The PAC's activities are modeled after a successful crypto-focused PAC from the 2024 elections, and its influence on upcoming midterms and AI policy is expected to be closely monitored.

AI industry-backed super PAC picks first target

An A.I. Super PAC backed by heavyweights like A16Z and Perplexity has announced its first target, which is an assemblyman in New York State. Emily Wilkins is in D.C. with a look at how the A.I. picture could shape the upcoming midterm elections. Emily. Hey, Dom. Well, yeah, the Super PAC, it's called Leading the Future. It's this A.I. PAC and its first target is Alex Boras. Now, he is one of many candidates in a crowded primary race to succeed New York Congressman Jerry Nadler. And the PAC's backers, as you mentioned, it's a lot of heavyweights. Interesting Horowitz, Ron Conway, Open A.I.'s Greg Bachman and Palantir's Joe Lonsdale. They've got 100 million dollars in the bank so far, according to reports. And this PAC does plan to focus on candidates from both parties who support uniform federal laws on A.I. Now, the PAC is opposed to some state level efforts, and that includes an A.I. safety bill that Boris co-sponsored. The PAC spokesman saying in a statement that the bill is a clear example of the patchwork, uninformed and bureaucratic state laws that would slow American progress and open the door for China to win the global race for A.I. leadership. Now, Boris pushed back in a statement saying that I am someone with a master's in computer science, two patents and nearly a decade working in tech. If they are scared of people who understand their business, regulating their business, then they are telling on themselves. Now, Boris has been fundraising off of the PAC's recent opposition. In a tweet, he urged donors to help him push back against, quote, Trump's mega donors writing all tech policy. His race will be one of the early tests of the A.I. PAC's influence. And that PAC is modeled after the success of Fairshank, the crypto backpack, which already which played really big in the 2024 elections and has already notched at least one legislative victory this year. So definitely one that we will be watching from now until the midterms. All right. So, Emily, I'm curious. So the Boris is one of them. The first one. Who exactly else could this group potentially target to go after in terms of trying to be negative against them or throw their resources behind and support in this A.I. race? I think because this group is modeled a bit off of what we saw the crypto group do in 2024, it seems like what they might do is they'll pick candidates that seem to align with their positions, bolster them, give funding funding to their campaigns, and then maybe look for individuals like Boris, who they disagree with on policy and try to target them with ads. You kind of saw with the crypto PAC, they both supported individuals, endorsed some, and then they opposed others. And they did that for both parties. And the idea is because, you know, that once you get to D.C., especially with the Senate, you absolutely need bipartisan support to get anything done. And so these groups are getting out there. They're being very public about what they want, what they expect to see. And, of course, we'll be keeping a close eye on who they decide to back in these midterms and whether those folks wind up going to Capitol Hill next year.

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AI industry-backed super PAC picks first target

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