A pro-AI super PAC backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman has chosen New York State Representative Alex Boaz and his congressional bid as its first target.
The PAC, named “Leading the Future,” was launched in August with 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 support from many other prominent leaders in the technology industry, including Palantir co-founder and 8VC managing partner Joe Lonsdale and AI search engine Perplexity.
“I appreciate that they’re being outspoken on this issue,” Boas told a room of journalists at the AGI Impact and Governance Journalism Workshop in Washington, D.C., on Monday night. “When they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to spend millions of dollars on Alex because he might regulate Big Tech and put basic guardrails on AI,’ I basically just tell the voters that.”
Boas, who is running to represent the state’s 12th Congressional District, said voters are increasingly worried about AI, worrying about everything from data centers raising utility costs and exacerbating climate change to chatbots impacting children’s mental health and automation transforming the job market.
Mr. Boas is the lead sponsor of New York state’s bipartisan RAISE Act, which requires large AI laboratories to develop safety plans to prevent serious harm, follow their own safety plans, and disclose serious safety incidents, such as malicious actors stealing an AI model. The bill also prohibits AI companies from releasing models that pose an unreasonable risk of serious harm and imposes civil penalties of up to $30 million if companies fail to comply with these standards. The bill currently awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.
Boas said he consulted with leading AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic when drafting and redrafting the bill. As a result of these negotiations, provisions such as third-party safety audits were removed, but the industry reportedly refused to accept them. Nevertheless, the RAISE Act and Mr. Boas himself seem to have drawn the ire of Silicon Valley.
Leading the Future directors Zach Moffat and Josh Brust told Politico they will launch a multibillion-dollar effort to sink Boas’ campaign.
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In a statement sent to TechCrunch, they accused Boas of pushing “ideological and politically motivated legislation that would handcuff not just New York, but the entire nation’s ability to lead in AI jobs and innovation.” “Bills like the RAISE Act threaten America’s competitiveness, limit economic growth, expose users to foreign influence and manipulation, and undermine national security,” they said.
“The RAISE Act is a clear example of patchwork, uninformed, and bureaucratic state legislation that will slow America’s progress and pave the way for China to win the global race for AI leadership,” Moffat and Brust said in an emailed statement. “America needs a 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 are calling for states to be prohibited from passing regulations related to AI. Earlier this year, a provision to block state AI laws was included in the federal budget bill, but was later removed. Now, lawmakers like Sen. Ted Cruz are trying to reinstate the system through other legislative measures.
Boas said he is concerned that such a movement could continue to gain momentum now that the federal government has not passed meaningful AI regulation. While the federal government moves slowly, states are like startups, acting as policy laboratories and able to move quickly to test what works.
“The question is, did Congress solve the problem?” Boas said. “If Congress solves a problem, they can tell the states to get out of the way, but if they don’t pass legislation that actually addresses some problem…then (saying the states can’t do anything) just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Boas also said he is in touch with policymakers in other states to work on standardizing legislation that can counter Silicon Valley’s “patchwork” opposition. He also believes that lawmakers need to ensure there is no overlap with EU AI law.
Boas emphasized that AI regulations do not limit innovation and vetoed bills he believes would have unintended consequences for the industry.
“Having ground rules, both literal and figurative, is actually a very pro-innovation attitude when done well,” Boas said. “Fundamentally, I believe that a winning AI will be an AI that is trustworthy. And I think we’re seeing a pushback from industry that the government has no role to play in establishing that trust, that we’re seeing people at every level rejecting it.”
