Pro-AI Super PAC Launches Group to Promote Data Centers in Battleground States
Quick Look
A pro-AI super PAC-backed group called Build American AI plans to spend millions on ads in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin advocating for data centers, affiliating with Leading the Future, which is funded by Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Greg Brockman, amid OpenAI's public distancing from the group over concerns about astroturfing tactics.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Leading the Future (LTF) is a super PAC funded by Silicon Valley figures including Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Greg Brockman, focused on supporting AI-friendly candidates and opposing those who lobby against AI technology.
A well-known, pro-AI super political action committee is behind a new group that plans to blast voters in key battleground states with ads advocating for data centers, several outlets are reporting.
That new group, called Build American AI, wants to convince citizens of the virtues of having data centers in their backyards. It says it is affiliated with Leading the Future (LTF), a super PAC heavily funded by VCs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, along with OpenAI President Greg Brockman.
Build American AI told Bloomberg it will focus its ads on Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where concerns about data centers have become a central theme in statewide elections. It said its ad budget is millions of dollars.
LTF launched with over $50 million in funding and has mostly used that money to donate to specific politicians, Politico reports. It supports candidates who advocate for AI, but it also works to oppose candidates who lobby against the technology, sources have told Politico.
LTF has become such a well-known, and not particularly beloved, force in AI-related election politics that OpenAI publicly distanced itself from it in a blog post in June.
“There have been questions around 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 the activities of LTF, or have visibility into their operations.”
OpenAI also condemned some of LTF’s tactics, writing: “Groups that are advocating on AI should be clear about their policy views, be honest about whom they represent, and not use tactics like astroturfing that obscure the real choices facing policymakers and the public.” (Astroturfing means making a paid, organized campaign look like grassroots support.)
While LTF has gained attention in Silicon Valley, it is not the only super PAC pushing an AI agenda that is backed by big Valley names. Anthropic, for instance, is a known supporter of Public First Action, a group that backs AI regulation.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Build American AI will launch its ad campaign in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin within the next few weeks
Likely · Within weeks
OpenAI will continue to distance itself from Leading the Future (LTF) if controversial tactics persist
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific ad content will Build American AI use in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin?
- How will voters in these states respond to pro-data center messaging?
- Will other states see similar AI-backed advocacy groups emerge?
- What is the exact ad budget for Build American AI?
