AI Family Feud Erupts in NY House Primary, Sparks Million-Dollar Corporate Spending Battle

New York Assemblyman Alex Bores' congressional campaign has evolved into an intense proxy battleground, highlighting deep divisions within the technology industry over the regulation of artificial intelligence. Bores, a former computer engineer, gained national attention when a political group called "Leading the Future," largely funded by investors in OpenAI, spent more than $7 million on advertisements aimed at defeating him. This significant opposition was a direct consequence of Bores’s legislation regulating AI, with the group arguing that federal lawmakers, rather than state legislatures, should lead on AI regulation. Among the prominent donors to Leading the Future are OpenAI President Greg Brockman, venture capitalist Marc Andreesen, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, many of whom are also known supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Conversely, Bores has received substantial financial support from another faction of Silicon Valley. Political groups partially funded by Anthropic, the company behind the chatbot Claude, have collectively invested over $10 million to bolster his campaign. Adding to this support, crypto billionaire Chris Larsen, an investor in Anthropic, has pledged an additional $3.5 million. This clash underscores a fundamental schism within the tech world, mirroring a broader ideological debate between those who advocate for minimal government intervention—often aligned with figures like Elon Musk and favoring deregulation—and those who champion government safeguards and traditionally lean Democratic.

Central to this controversy is Bores’s legislative achievement, the New York RAISE Act, which he spearheaded. This act is recognized as one of the most comprehensive state-level initiatives to regulate emerging AI technologies. It mandates that major AI companies file reports detailing safeguards against "catastrophic" risks. These risks are defined as potential incidents capable of causing harm to more than 50 people, such as an AI-triggered meltdown of nuclear power plants or the engineering of new viruses. Although Leading the Future initially opposed Bores’s original proposal, they ultimately acceded to a modified version that was signed into law. Despite this, the PAC has maintained its opposition to Bores, characterizing his legislative approach as extreme.

The stakes in this primary race are particularly high given the current lack of significant federal progress on AI regulation. Former President Trump's proposed AI framework, for instance, would supersede state laws like the RAISE Act, aiming to establish a national standard that has yet to materialize, thus leaving the industry largely unregulated at the federal level. Bores’s opponents in the race for New York’s 12th Congressional District, a contest to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, have frequently accused him of being a mere pawn in a corporate rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic. Jack Schlossberg, a Kennedy family heir and a rival candidate, articulated this sentiment, suggesting the conflict "has nothing to do with standing up to Trump’s mega donors."

Bores and his allies vehemently reject these accusations, asserting that the race represents a deeper ideological struggle. Bores himself stated that the battle originated with "AI megadonors pledging $10 million to stop me because they were afraid after I passed the strongest AI safety law in the country," framing it as a conflict between those who believe in regulating powerful entities to protect people and those who do not. Brad Carson, who directs the Public First political action committee, has spent over $6 million in support of Bores. Carson emphasized that the initiative transcends a simple corporate rivalry, noting that Public First initially raised $30 million from nongovernmental organizations before Anthropic contributed $20 million, reinforcing his argument that it represents "two philosophical movements fighting it out." Chris Larsen also clarified his involvement was a direct response to what he perceived as OpenAI's threats against candidates advocating for "common-sense regulation." Even Bores's primary rival, Assemblyman Micah Lasher, supported the RAISE Act, indicating a broader consensus on the necessity of AI safeguards within the district's liberal political landscape.