A16z-backed super PAC is targeting Alex Bores, sponsor of New York’s AI safety bill. He says bring it on. (techcrunch.com)

A pro-AI super PAC called Leading the Future — backed by Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Palantir co‑founder Joe Lonsdale, Perplexity and other Silicon Valley figures — has named New York Assembly member Alex Bores and his congressional campaign as its first target. The group, formed in August with a six‑figure-to‑$100M+ commitment and a stated “light‑touch/no‑touch” regulatory stance, says it will spend heavily to oppose lawmakers who push state AI rules. Bores, sponsor of New York’s bipartisan RAISE Act, welcomed the fight and says his constituents’ AI worries (from utilities and climate to children’s mental health and job automation) justify state action; the bill is now awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature. The RAISE Act would require large AI labs to create and follow safety plans, disclose “critical safety incidents” (e.g., model theft or malicious misuse), bar release of models with unreasonable risks of critical harm, and impose civil penalties up to $30 million. Industry negotiations removed provisions like mandatory third‑party audits, underscoring resistance to independent verification. The clash highlights a broader technical and policy fault line: whether the U.S. ends up with state “laboratories” testing safety rules or a single federal framework favored by industry. The outcome could materially affect deployment practices, incident reporting, compliance costs, and the political leverage of AI firms over regulation and national competitiveness.