New York Assemblymember Alex Bores is launching a $30 million campaign to unite Democrats behind tougher safeguards for artificial intelligence, after making regulation a central issue in his unsuccessful bid for Congress.
The organisation, called Who Decides, is intended to develop a common Democratic position on AI ahead of the 2028 elections. Its website says the group wants candidates “from the top of the ticket on down” to run on a shared AI safety agenda.
That agenda would address existing harms linked to the technology, as well as the risk that increasingly powerful systems could disrupt the economy, democracy and public safety, according to the organisation.
Who Decides’ legal structure had not been made clear. It was not immediately known whether it would operate as a federal super PAC, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organisation or another type of group.
The organisation’s website includes a donation facility hosted by Give Butter. It says Who Decides will not accept corporate money or contributions from senior executives at leading AI companies.
Mr Bores is launching the group with Anna Myers, his former chief of staff. He did not immediately respond to questions about the organisation, including whether he had personally raised money for it while serving as a state lawmaker.
The launch comes as the rapid development of AI becomes an increasingly prominent political issue in the United States. A former researcher at Anthropic and OpenAI recently warned that the technology could potentially bring about the end of humanity, prompting calls from the leaders of both companies and Elon Musk for regulation and slower development.
Politicians from both parties have been seeking to establish a policy position on AI. Former president Barack Obama called on Democrats last week to focus on the issue, while strategists from across the party’s ideological spectrum met to discuss its political direction.
President Donald Trump rejected calls from Republicans and Democrats for rapid regulation in a series of social media posts on Monday.
In the launch announcement, Mr Bores said: “We don’t let five people write the laws for hundreds of millions of Americans. There is no reason to let them write the rules for AI.”
Who Decides plans to focus on 11 states it identifies as important to the 2028 presidential primary and general election: South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The group says it will conduct quarterly national and state polls, hold national conferences and work with local organisations in those states.
Mr Bores lost the Democratic primary earlier this year for the Manhattan seat being vacated by Representative Jerry Nadler. His campaign centred largely on AI regulation, following his work on the RAISE Act in the New York state legislature, which sought to introduce safeguards for the technology.
Super PACs backed by rival factions of the AI industry contributed a combined $21 million in support of and opposition to his campaign. Democratic Assemblymember Micah Lasher won the primary and is considered almost certain to win the November election in the heavily Democratic district.
Who Decides says the campaign demonstrated both public demand for answers on AI policy and the lack of a coalition capable of turning that interest into a common governing position.
