AI-aligned PAC targets battleground states with data center ad campaign
A new group called Build American AI, affiliated with the pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future, will spend millions on advertisements in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin to promote data centers. The effort is backed by prominent tech figures including Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI's Greg Brockman. OpenAI has publicly distanced itself from the super PAC, criticizing its tactics such as astroturfing.
The new Build American AI group will concentrate its advertising in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where data center debates have become election issues. Its parent super PAC, Leading the Future, launched with over $50 million and has donated to supportive politicians while opposing critics. OpenAI’s president and his wife contributed to LTF, but OpenAI has publicly disavowed the group’s methods, including astroturfing. Separately, Andreessen Horowitz has become a top political spender, backing AI and crypto causes, while Anthropic supports a different pro-regulation PAC.
This campaign could shape local elections by framing data centers as economic boons, potentially swaying voters in states where infrastructure siting is contentious. Communities may face pressure to accept facilities without full scrutiny of energy or water costs. The involvement of major tech donors could also intensify public distrust of AI advocacy, as opaque funding and astroturfing tactics risk blurring genuine grassroots concerns.