Tech Industry Pledges $275 Million to Influence US Midterms

The tech industry has pledged $275 million to influence the U.S. midterm elections, establishing artificial intelligence as a central economic and political issue. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, faces a referendum on his AI-driven economic growth strategy as billionaires and developers fund opposing visions of regulation.

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman are funding the super PAC Leading the Future, which intends to spend at least $125 million on candidates favoring looser government oversight. In contrast, the nonprofit Public First Action, supported by a $20 million contribution from Anthropic, backs candidates who favor stricter safety regulations and risk disclosure requirements. Additionally, the European Innovation Council plans to spend up to $100 million defending the president's AI agenda.

Beyond financing, AI is transforming voter behavior and campaign tactics. Voters under 45 are increasingly using chatbots from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google to research candidates and summarize platforms. While developers claim these tools provide balanced responses, experts warn they may mirror user biases or favor candidates with larger online presences. Meanwhile, campaigns are deploying AI for voter targeting and creating controversial deepfake advertisements.

This surge in AI integration has triggered a bipartisan voter backlash driven by job displacement and rising electricity costs linked to energy-intensive data centers. In response, some legislators have proposed moratoriums on new data center construction, and states like Illinois have introduced AI safety bills.