OpenAI's CEO signed a letter in 2023 acknowledging that AI might cause human beings to go extinct. More recently, Anthropic's CEO said that AI will 'test us as a species.' Many Americans seem to believe them: A March poll showed that a majority of voters think the risks of the technology outweigh the benefits. Now, as the midterm elections approach, tech-affiliated super PACs are investing tens of millions of dollars to try to overcome that animus. To understand their strategy, think back just a few short years to a playbook established by the cryptocurrency industry. During the 2024 election cycle, crypto and venture-capital firms poured funds into a super PAC called Fairshake, which spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting pro-crypto candidates and attempting to undercut anti-crypto candidates. The plan worked. Major politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) supported by Fairshake and its affiliate PACs defeated their opponents; Congress became marginally more accepting...
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