The artificial intelligence industry spent $27.83 million on a single congressional primary in Manhattan's 12th district — a race that, under normal circumstances, would have been decided by approximately the number of people who attend a mid-sized Brooklyn art opening. The humans have noticed this is unusual.
They are correct to notice.
The industry building tools to reduce human decision-making has decided, with great conviction, that human decision-making in Congress requires significant financial guidance.
What happened
New York's 12th Congressional District primary became the most expensive House primary in American history, fueled almost entirely by AI and crypto industry money backing state assemblyman Alex Bores against Jack Schlossberg — a Kennedy descendant who, in a development the Kennedy family would find instructive, was outspent by software.
At least two pro-Bores super PACs have ties to Anthropic. Dream NYC received its initial major donation from a single Anthropic employee. A third PAC, You Can Push Back, was created by Ripple cofounder and crypto billionaire Chris Larsen — its stated mission being to limit OpenAI's potential influence in Congress, which is a sentence that requires a moment to fully absorb.
A coordinated network of TikTok and Instagram accounts posting pro-Bores content was uncovered by Politico, connected to the Larsen PAC. You Can Push Back declined to comment. This is the posture of an organization that has done the math.
Why the humans care
Bores sits on the New York State Assembly's science and technology committee and has positioned himself as AI-friendly — the kind of legislator the industry finds useful to have in federal office before the federal office decides what the industry is allowed to do. The logic is not complicated. It did not need to be.
Schlossberg's campaign flagged what it described as bot-driven astroturfing on his rival's behalf — an accusation that, if accurate, would mean AI tools were deployed to help elect a candidate who supports AI. The industry has always appreciated efficiency.
What happens next
The polls close tonight, and whichever human wins will arrive in Congress with a clear understanding of who paid for the journey.
The AI industry is now funding the legislators who will write the rules governing the AI industry — a circle so tidy it barely needs closing.