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Meet the Politician the AI Industry Is Trying to Stop - Odd Lots
Dec 18, 2025 Odd Lots
The politics of AI are already exploding. Whether we're talking about data centers, electricity prices, labor displacement, water consumption, competition with China, or users of chatbots becoming psychotically obsessed, AI is already a major topic in elections. And since there's so much money at stake, the industry is already spinning up super PACs and lobbying arms. Last month it was reported that a new $100 million AI super PAC called Leading the Future would be directly targeting Alex Bores, a Democrat who is running for his party's nomination for New York's 12th congressional district. Why target Bores? Well, as an New York assemblymember, he has led the push for the regulation of AI at the state level. The industry, of course, views state-level regulation as an existential threat to their business. So on this episode we speak with Alex about how he views AI, and the optimal approach to regulation. Alex also has a tech background, and so we talk about the technology more broadly, as well as other issues in contemporary politics.
[...]
0:00 Introduction and Context Setting
3:19 AI Regulation Challenges
6:39 Bores Background: From Palantir to Politics
8:05 The RAISE Act Explained
9:35 RAISE Act Technical Details and Concerns
13:21AI Testing and Black Box Problems
16:43 Trump's Executive Order and State vs. Federal Authority
18:06 Political Dynamics in Albany
21:20 Broader AI Policy Challenges
23:39 AI Optimism and Nuclear Analogy
25:33 Deepfakes and Content Authentication
28:03 Palantir Deep Dive
31:39 Government Software and Implementation Focus
35:16 Everyday Technology Problems
38:40 Cryptocurrency and Financial Regulation
40:11 12th District Profile and Campaign Dynamics
41:47 Government Data and Long-term Investment
43:21 Conclusion and Reflection
The politics of AI are already exploding. Whether we're talking about data centers, electricity prices, labor displacement, water consumption, competition with China, or users of chatbots becoming psychotically obsessed, AI is already a major topic in elections. And since there's so much money at stake, the industry is already spinning up super PACs and lobbying arms. Last month it was reported that a new $100 million AI super PAC called Leading the Future would be directly targeting Alex Bores, a Democrat who is running for his party's nomination for New York's 12th congressional district. Why target Bores? Well, as an New York assemblymember, he has led the push for the regulation of AI at the state level. The industry, of course, views state-level regulation as an existential threat to their business. So on this episode we speak with Alex about how he views AI, and the optimal approach to regulation. Alex also has a tech background, and so we talk about the technology more broadly, as well as other issues in contemporary politics.
[...]
0:00 Introduction and Context Setting
3:19 AI Regulation Challenges
6:39 Bores Background: From Palantir to Politics
8:05 The RAISE Act Explained
9:35 RAISE Act Technical Details and Concerns
13:21AI Testing and Black Box Problems
16:43 Trump's Executive Order and State vs. Federal Authority
18:06 Political Dynamics in Albany
21:20 Broader AI Policy Challenges
23:39 AI Optimism and Nuclear Analogy
25:33 Deepfakes and Content Authentication
28:03 Palantir Deep Dive
31:39 Government Software and Implementation Focus
35:16 Everyday Technology Problems
38:40 Cryptocurrency and Financial Regulation
40:11 12th District Profile and Campaign Dynamics
41:47 Government Data and Long-term Investment
43:21 Conclusion and Reflection