Proxy war between AI industry, safety groups comes to head in NY House primary

New York City voters are set to deliver their verdict Tuesday in one of the most prominent election battles between artificial intelligence companies and the nonprofits pushing for stricter rules on the new technology.

The fight over AI policy has loomed over the Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D), as pro-AI and tech safety spending groups wage a proxy war through candidate Alex Bores.

Bores, a New York state assembly member and former computer engineer for Palantir, has campaigned heavily on AI safety concerns, an increasingly potent political issue. His candidacy has drawn a flood of spending from competing factions of the AI space.

The Silicon Valley-backed super PAC Leading the Future spent more than $8 million against Bores’s nomination, while multiple AI safety groups poured more than $20 million in support of him, making the race the second most expensive House primary on record, according to AdImpact.

The spending battle is part of a broader debate on AI policy that is forcing candidates and lawmakers across the country to answer whether and how they plan to regulate the advancing technology. 

The race is an “interesting test case” for both industry and safety groups’ spending, Democratic strategist Eddie Vale told The Hill. It showed “a lot of the different AI PACs starting to poke and prod and look for what the best strategy is,” Vale added. 

Bores is neck-and-neck with former New York State Assembly member Michah Lasher, according to recent polls, while Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President Kennedy, and George Conway, a former Republican and frequent President Trump critic who is now a Democrat, trail behind. 

Lasher was long seen as the likely replacement for Nadler, but strategists say the AI spending over Bores elevated his candidacy.. 

“It very quickly raised his profile,” Vale said Monday. “If you’re talking about a potentially crowded primary, especially in an extremely blue district, getting attacked by an industry group can help you. It can raise your profile with voters, it can help you out with fundraising.”

AdImpact found about $3.6 million was spent on ads attacking Bores, and $1.6 million against........

© The Hill