Senator Bernie Sanders said the artificial intelligence (AI) industry plans to spend more than $300 million this election cycle. He called for a ban on super PACs, arguing the money lets AI shape Congress.
AI-linked groups have raised or pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for November. That money flows to both sides of the AI regulation fight.
What Congress Is Weighing
Sanders made the case in a post on X.
Congress is weighing several AI bills, and AI companies are betting their midterm spending will sway legislation, CNBC reported.
Earlier this month, Sanders and Representative Greg Casar announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act. The bill would permanently prohibit superintelligent AI and halt advanced development until a regulator sets safety standards.
Democrat Ted Lieu and Republican Nathaniel Moran introduced the AI Kill Switch Act in July. The measure would require top AI developers to keep the ability to shut down their most powerful systems.
Who Is Writing the Checks
The groups funding the midterms disagree over what rules Congress should write. The largest pool belongs to Leading the Future, which said in April that it and associated organizations have raised over $140 million.
Its initial contributors include OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Anna Brockman, along with Andreessen Horowitz and Perplexity.
Trump-aligned Innovation Council Action has pledged at least $100 million. Public First Action, which backs stronger AI safeguards, said it raised $80 million through June.
Anthropic contributed $20 million, which the group says is restricted to public education on AI policy.
The AI groups are running a bipartisan playbook that Fairshake, the crypto super PAC, used in 2024. Fairshake is now spending $30 million on ads against Sherrod Brown.
Where the Money Is Landing
Leading the Future and Public First collided hardest in New York’s 12th District, where Assemblymember Alex Bores ran for Congress.
Think Big, Leading the Future’s Democratic arm, spent $8.17 million opposing Bores, per Transformer’s FEC tracker. It also put over $1 million each behind Jesse Jackson Jr. in Illinois and Ritchie Torres in New York.
In contrast, Public First’s Jobs and Democracy PAC spent $15.03 million supporting Bores. He lost the NY-12 Democratic primary to Micah Lasher.
Beyond that race, Leading the Future and Public First both spread money across party lines through separate Democratic and Republican affiliates. Think Big put over $1 million each behind Jesse Jackson Jr. in Illinois and Ritchie Torres in New York.
Both groups’ Republican arms have also spent to support Kevin Hern, Oklahoma’s Republican Senate nominee.
However, as the midterms near, those groups face voters who are skeptical of AI. Politico has warned that voter skepticism toward the industry could turn into backlash.
Its April poll found respondents less likely to back candidates supported by groups pushing looser AI rules. The next round of FEC filings, due in October, will show how much cash moves into the election.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights
