it turns out That when an AI-friendly super PAC with $100 million of backing from Silicon Valley giants identifies you as its first target, it gets a lot of attention.
“I want to thank [the PAC] “For their partnership in raising the issue of how do we regulate an incredibly powerful technology, so that the future is one that benefits us all? I can’t imagine a better partner this week,” says New York Assembly member and Democratic congressional candidate Alex Borsch in an interview with WIRED.
Earlier this year, Borse and New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes co-authored the RAISE Act, a bill that would give New York’s Attorney General the authority to impose civil penalties of up to $30 million against AI developers like OpenAI and Google if they fail to publish security reports about their technology.
The RAISE Act passed the New York legislature in June, and is scheduled to be signed or vetoed by Governor Kathy Hochul before the end of the year. It is one of a handful of state AI safety bills across the country that attempt to regulate AI developers — even as the Trump administration prepares an executive order aimed at thwarting state-level AI laws.
This effort placed Bourse in the dock to lead the future. In addition to the backing of venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, the recently formed PAC is also funded by OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.
Andreessen Horowitz declined WIRED’s request for comment. Brockman and Lonsdale did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.
Leading the Future plans to spend millions of dollars to defeat Bourse’s bid for Congress. “Assemblyman Bors has advanced exactly the type of ideologically and politically motivated legislation that would handcuff not only New York, but the entire country’s ability to lead on AI jobs and innovation,” the PAC’s leaders, Zack Moffatt and Josh Vlasto, said in a statement to WIRED. He said the PAC will “aggressively oppose policymakers and candidates in states across the country” who threaten Americans’ “ability to benefit from AI.” But he refused to reveal his next goals.
Boers believes that the AI industry is threatened by their technical expertise. The New York lawmaker holds a master’s degree in computer science from Georgia Tech. He also worked as an engineer at Palantir for four years before leaving in 2019 upon a contract the company renewed with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“The thing that scares Trump’s megadonors the most is that I really understand AI,” he claims.