Tech Industry Defector in NY-12 Gets Boost From New Super PAC
Tech Industry Defector in NY-12 Gets Boost From New Super PAC
https://prospect.org/2026/06/19/tech-industry-ny-12-artificial-intelligence-super-pac-alex-bores/
Publish Date: 2026-06-19 05:00:00
Source Domain: prospect.org
- Assemblymember Alex Bores, former Palantir employee, is facing opposition from AI oligarchs who want to defeat his campaign for a congressional seat in New York, due to his strong AI safety regulations.
- A new guard super PAC, Guardrails Alliance, has launched and is raising funds from progressive groups to counterbalance the AI industry’s efforts to defeat Bores.
- The PAC aims to educate the public about AI industry spending and how people can counteract it, using strategies similar to those used against Trump’s supporters in Wisconsin.
- Public opinion largely distrusts the safe development of AI and believes the U.S. government will not regulate it, according to Pew Research.
- Despite opposition, Bores passed the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act in New York, which mandates safety protocols and oversight for large AI developers, despite attempts to weaken it.
- AI industry veterans like Marc Andreessen and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale are backing campaigns to defeat Bores, in what some view as a tech industry civil war over regulation.
- AI safety concerns from certain companies like Anthropic may be undermined by their political contributions and involvement in controversial government projects.
- Bores’ strong stance against Palantir’s role in immigration enforcement when he worked there informs his current regulatory efforts against the AI industry.
- The PAC plans to monitor and oppose Leading the Future, a group funded by AI industry insiders, and aims to make public their spending and agendas.
- Early voting for the NY-12 primary has started with Election Day on June 23, and the PAC intends to announce further support for other candidates.
