A well-known pro-AI super political action committee is behind a new group that plans to bombard voters in key battleground states with ads advocating for data centers, several the media is reporting.
That new group, called Build American AI, wants to convince citizens of the virtues of having data centers in their backyards. says is affiliated with Leading the Future (LTF), a super PAC largely funded by venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, along with OpenAI president Greg Brockman.
Build American AI said Bloomberg It will focus its ads on Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin, where concerns about data centers have become a central issue in state elections. He said his advertising budget is in the millions of dollars.
LTF launched with more than $50 million in funding and has primarily used that money to donate to specific politicians. political reports. He supports candidates who champion AI, but also works to oppose candidates who push against the technology, sources told Politico.
LTF has become such a well-known, and not particularly beloved, force in AI-related electoral politics that OpenAI publicly distanced itself from it in a blog post in June.
“There have been questions about Leading the Future (LTF), which has received support from our president and co-founder, Greg Brockman, and his wife Anna,” OpenAI wrote. “OpenAI does not direct LTF’s activities or have visibility into its operations.”
OpenAI also condemned some of LTF’s tactics, writing: “AI advocacy groups must be clear about their political views, be honest about who they represent, and not use tactics like astroturfing that obscure the real choices facing policymakers and the public.” (Astroturfing means making an organized, paid campaign look like grassroots support.)
While LTF has drawn attention in Silicon Valley, it’s not the only super PAC pushing an AI agenda backed by big Valley names. Anthropic, for example, is a well-known supporter of Public First Actiona group that supports AI regulation.
Meanwhile, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have been “spending on politics like no other” as The This is how the New York Times put it. By the outlet’s calculations, his venture firm, Andreessen Horowitz, is the largest donor so far for the midterm elections, spending more than high-profile donors like Elon Musk and George Soros. The firm has doled out more than $115 million so far in disclosed federal contributions. In addition to LTF and AI causes, he also heavily supports pro-cryptocurrency efforts, especially through the crypto super PAC Fairshake.
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