人工智能公司最大的超级政治行动委员会之一，在公众对AI热潮的强烈反弹中已几乎沦为无足轻重。独家分享给《杠杆》的研究显示，“引领未来”——一个由大型科技公司领袖支持的亲AI行业团体——旗下的关联政治行动委员会在本轮大选中退出了竞争激烈的国会选战，因为“引领未来”在很大程度上被视为“一个政治上有毒的实体，候选人和捐赠者都不愿与之扯上关系”。
One of artificial intelligence firms’ biggest super PACs has been forced into near irrelevance amid an outpouring of public backlash to the AI boom. Research shared exclusively with The Lever shows that the affiliated PACs of Leading The Future — a pro-AI industry group backed by Big Tech leaders — have bowed out of tight Congressional races this general election cycle as Leading The Future largely becomes regarded as a “politically toxic entity that candidates and donors do not want to be associated with.”
据“护栏联盟”称，这个由劳工支持、主张对AI进行监管的“制衡”超级政治行动委员会表示，“引领未来”旗下的政治行动委员会在本轮选举周期中，没有将该团体1.4亿美元竞选资金中的任何一分钱投向竞争最激烈的50个众议院选区或7个参议院选区。这包括放弃了该团体关联机构在初选期间曾支持的、竞争激烈的普选中的候选人。
According to the Guardrails Alliance, a labor-backed “counterweight” super PAC in favor of AI regulation, Leading The Future’s PACs did not direct any of the group’s $140 million war chest to the 50 most competitive House races or the seven most competitive Senate races this general cycle. That includes abandoning candidates in competitive general races that the group’s affiliates backed during the primaries.
“护栏联盟”联合创始人兼执行主任肖娜·托马斯说：“虽然AI行业今后很可能仍将是选举中的主要支出方，但显而易见，‘引领未来’在（其）政治策略上已经彻底且明确地失败了。雄厚的财力本应让（它）成为政治 powerhouse，但（其）议程和（其）出资者的不受欢迎，反而让（它）成了一个累赘。”“引领未来”的放缓之际，艾奥瓦州、俄亥俄州和密歇根州这三个参议院战场州的四分之三选民表示，他们不太可能投票给由大型科技公司资助的AI超级政治行动委员会支持的候选人。这对选民可能选择的影响，比候选人是否曾投票削减医疗补助的影响还要大。
“While the AI industry is likely to remain a major spender in elections moving forward, it is abundantly clear that Leading The Future has completely and unequivocally failed in [its] political strategy,” said Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director of the Guardrails Alliance. “Deep pockets were supposed to make [it] a political powerhouse, but the unpopularity of [its] agenda and [its] funders have made [it] a liability instead.”Leading The Future’s slowdown comes as three-quarters of voters in the Senate battlegrounds of Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan say that they are less likely to vote for a candidate backed by Big Tech-funded AI super PACs. It had a bigger net impact on voters’ likely choices than whether a candidate had voted to cut Medicaid.
亲AI政治支出的毒性已经大到如此程度，以至于OpenAI联合创始人格雷格·布罗克曼最近撤回了本选举季对“引领未来”5000万美元承诺中的一半。此外，该团体唯一的民主党大金主表示，他后悔给了它任何钱。
The toxicity of pro-AI political spending has grown so great that OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman recently backed out of half of his $50 million commitment to Leading The Future this election season. Plus, the group’s only Democratic megadonor said he regrets giving it any money.
“因为[引领未来的]傲慢、对选民的无知以及纯粹的 政治失当，”该组织将以一个“对国会平衡几乎没有或几乎没有影响的存在”而结束这一轮，托马斯说。
“Because of [Leading The Future’s] arrogance, misunderstanding of the electorate, and sheer political malpractice,” the group is ending this cycle as a “non-entity that will have little to no impact on the balance of Congress,” said Thomas.