Grassroots coalition asks politicians to choose voters over Big AI's $140M machine

QuitGPT-led pledge targets Leading the Future's push for lighter regulation ahead of the midterms

A coalition of advocacy groups is trying to counter the AI industry's influence on US politics by asking congressional candidates and elected officials to reject support from a major pro-AI political group.

The Stop Bleeding the Future campaign brings together more than 50 national and grassroots organizations to counter Leading the Future, a super PAC network formed last year to support candidates favoring light-touch AI regulation and oppose those backing tighter rules.

The effort is led by QuitGPT, which encourages users to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions and boycott OpenAI over what it describes as the company's support for President Trump. The campaign highlights OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman's $25 million donation to MAGA Inc and the company's $200 million US defense contract.

REG AD

Stop Bleeding the Future says it is concerned about the influence of "Big AI" on US politics and Leading the Future's efforts to defeat common-sense laws intended to protect the American people.

REG AD

The effort comes amid a series of developments that have intensified concerns about AI, including agents breaking out of their sandboxes, the use of AI by miscreants to attack infrastructure, and warnings from AI executives about the dangers posed by their own technology.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that more than half of Americans now view AI negatively, with potential job losses among their concerns.

The coalition is asking candidates and elected officials to pledge that they will refuse support from Leading the Future and publicly condemn its efforts to obstruct AI regulation.

The campaign says the Leading the Future network has raised more than $140 million for the 2026 election cycle. Its backers include OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, making it one of the largest single-issue political operations in modern US history.

The network has also expanded into the fight over the growing datacenter backlash across the US. Build American AI, an advocacy group affiliated with Leading the Future, has launched a super PAC called Building the Future to support candidates aligned with its datacenter agenda. Industry supporters have claimed that China-linked bots are amplifying opposition to datacenters, while President Trump has called opposition to the facilities a "hoax."

"The Big Tech oligarchs behind Leading the Future are spending millions to influence elections and make laws that put AI ahead of people," QuitGPT says in the pledge letter sent out to candidates and elected officials across the country.

The pledge has already attracted support. "The Big Tech oligarchs behind Leading the Future only care about their profits. They don't care if AI takes our jobs, destroys our communities' water supply, or if their models commit felony-level cyberattacks," said Pat Ryan, the representative for New York's 18th Congressional District.

"The American people are pushing back against them – that's why they're trying to buy our elections, to silence us. I'm proud to be one of the first to sign onto this effort, to stand and fight for the American people and keep the rich and powerful from rigging the rules to get even richer."

REG AD

The Register asked Leading the Future to comment, but had not heard back by publication time. ®