AI super PAC Leading the Future scales back spending amid donor losses

Leading the Future, an AI industry super PAC based in San Francisco, has significantly reduced its spending as it faces public backlash and donor withdrawals, the San Francisco Standard reported.

The PAC initially launched with $100 million in pledges from prominent tech figures, including venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, but is now sitting on its cash while donors pull out.

OpenAI President Greg Brockman contributed $25 million but has since pulled back on future donations, reflecting broader concerns within the tech community about AI's impact on jobs and the opposition to data centers.

A Democratic bundler from Silicon Valley, speaking anonymously to the San Francisco Standard, said the PAC is trying to avoid attention amid growing momentum against data centers and AI-related job fears.

October, typically a peak month for political spending ahead of elections, saw Leading the Future spending far less than other tech industry PACs, indicating a retreat in its political influence.