a16z-backed super PAC is targeting Alex Bores, sponsor of New York’s AI safety bill — he says bring it on

A pro-AI super PAC backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman has chosen New York Assembly member Alex Bores – and his congressional bid – as its first target.

The PAC, called Leading the Future, was formed in August with a commitment of more than $100 million to support policymakers with a light-touch or no-touch approach to AI regulation. And that means going after policymakers who want to regulate AI. The super PAC has the support of a number of other prominent tech leaders, including Palantir co-founder and 8VC managing partner Joe Lonsdale, as well as AI search engine Perplexity.

“I appreciate how straightforward they are about it,” Bores told a room of journalists Monday evening at a journalism workshop on AGI’s impact and governance in Washington, DC. “When they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to spend millions on Alex because he might be the Great technology and put in place fundamental guardrails for AI,” I basically forward that to my constituents.”

Bores, who is running to represent the state’s 12th Congressional District, says concerns about AI are growing among his constituents, who worry about everything from data centers driving up utility bills and worsening climate change, to chatbots impacting children’s mental health and automation transforming the job market.

Bores is the lead sponsor of New York’s bipartisan RAISE Act, which requires major AI labs to have a security plan to prevent critical harm, follow their own security plan, and publicly disclose critical security incidents, such as bad actors stealing an AI model. The bill also bans AI companies from releasing models with unreasonable risks of critical harm and imposes civil penalties of up to $30 million if companies fail to meet these standards. The legislation is currently awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.

Bores said he consulted with major AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic during the drafting and rewording of the bill. Those negotiations led to the removal of provisions such as third-party safety audits, which he said were rejected by the industry. Nevertheless, it appears that the RAISE Act, and Bores himself, have drawn the ire of Silicon Valley.

Zac Moffatt and Josh Vlasto, heads of Leading the Future, told the story Politics that they would work on a multi-billion dollar effort to derail Bores’ campaign.

In a statement to TechCrunch, they accused Bores of “advancing ideologically and politically motivated legislation that would undermine the ability of not only New York, but the entire country, to lead in AI jobs and innovation.” The pair said that “bills like the RAISE Act threaten American competitiveness, limit economic growth, expose users to foreign influence and manipulation, and undermine our national security.”

“The RAISE Act is a clear example of the patchwork, uninformed, and bureaucratic state legislation that would slow American progress and open the door for China to win the global race for AI leadership,” Moffatt and Vlasto said in the emailed statement. “America needs one clear and consistent national regulatory framework for AI that strengthens our economy, creates jobs for American workers, supports vibrant communities, and protects users.”

Many in Silicon Valley have pushed to ban states from passing regulations related to AI. Earlier this year, a provision blocking state AI laws was included in the federal budget and later removed. Now lawmakers like Senator Ted Cruz are trying to revive it other legislative avenues.

Bores said he worries that such a movement could continue to gain traction at a time when the federal government has not passed meaningful AI regulations. While the federal government moves slowly, states are like startups: They can function as policy laboratories and move quickly to test what works.

“The question should be: Has Congress solved the problem?” Bores said. “If Congress fixes the problem, it can tell the states to get out of the way, but if they don’t pass a law that actually addresses one of the problems… [saying that states can’t do anything] That just doesn’t seem logical to me.”

Bores also noted that he has been in contact with policymakers in other states to work on standardizing legislation, which could combat Silicon Valley’s “patchwork” objection. He also believes that lawmakers should ensure that there are no redundancies in the EU AI Act.

Bores emphasized that AI regulation is not intended to limit innovation, and that he has rejected bills that he believes would have unintended consequences for the industry.

“Having ground rules along the way, literally or figuratively, is actually a very pro-innovation stance when done right,” Bores said. “I fundamentally believe that the AI ​​that wins will be the AI ​​that is trustworthy. And the industry’s reluctance to say that government has no role in establishing that trust is one that I think you’re seeing rejection at every level.”