The Biggest Pro-AI Super Pac Network Didn't Really Impact the Midterms

Leading the Future, the biggest pro-AI ace PAC network, is walking distant from the midterm elections with conscionable implicit $20 cardinal inactive successful the slope and a roster of dozens of palmy legislature candidates from some sides of the aisle.

At archetypal glance, that looks similar a win. The details archer different story, though. The donations went overwhelmingly to harmless candidates, and the results successful the tiny fistful of riskier races that Leading the Future got progressive with bespeak that its plans to signifier the predetermination fell flat.

When Leading the Future archetypal entered the country successful August 2025 vowing to “oppose policies that stifle innovation," it had a war chest of astir $100 cardinal acknowledgment to immoderate of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech billionaires—including Andreessen Horowitz, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and OpenAI’s Greg Brockman—and was led by large governmental strategists.

Designed arsenic a “structured ecosystem,” it acceptable a extremity of having ”maximum flexibility to prosecute successful the 2026 predetermination rhythm and beyond.” The web is made up of 501(c)(4)s, and national and authorities ace PACs catering to some sides of the aisle: American Mission mostly gives to Republicans, portion Think Big mostly gives to Democrats. Its operation and overlapping strategists rapidly drew comparisons to Fairshake, a massive, well-funded pro-crypto ace PAC web that dominated successful the 2024 election.

“They came retired guns ablazing, saying beryllium afraid, we are going to walk our millions to power not lone however lawmakers legislate america but besides against you successful your primaries and successful your re-election,” Sacha Haworth, enforcement manager of the Tech Oversight Project, tells WIRED. ”The intent of that was to bully lawmakers into acquiescence, intimidate them into not sticking their necks retired connected AI information oregon tech manufacture regularisation astatine all.”

Leading the Future did not respond to requests for comment.

Late past year, Leading the Future took connected Democrat Alex Bores, a erstwhile Palantir technologist and authorities lawmaker moving successful New York’s 12th legislature territory connected an AI information platform, spending millions of dollars successful onslaught ads against his superior bid.

“They afloat expected to hide him, enactment his caput connected a spike and parade it astir arsenic impervious that they could,” says Haworth. Instead, Bores’ candidacy became a high-profile proxy warfare betwixt competing AI philosophies, boosting his illustration and platform. The pro-AI information web Public First, which has important fiscal backing from Anthropic, spent $15 cardinal boosting Bores’ candidacy. Though Bores didn’t win, helium came 2nd successful a crowded superior tract to different candidate,Micah Lasher, who campaigned connected tech accountability and AI safety.