Who's really running AI? Inside the billion-dollar battle over regulation with Alex Bores  | TechCrunch

Who’s really running AI? Inside the billion-dollar battle over regulation with Alex Bores  Rebecca Bellan , Theresa Loconsolo Feb 27, 2026 The Pentagon is playing chicken with Anthropic over who gets to control how the military uses AI while communities across the country are blocking data center construction. As the AI debate has been flattened to “doomers versus boomers,” one state legislator is attempting to walk a middle road.  On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan sits down with Alex Bores, a New York State Assemblymember and candidate for U.S. Congress. Bores sponsored New York’s first-of-its-kind AI safety law the RAISE Act — and quickly became the target of a Silicon Valley lobbying group with $125 million to spend on attack ads.  Listen to the full episode to hear about:  The dueling super PACs now fighting over AI’s future, and why Anthropic’s $20 million bet on the pro-regulation side matters.  What the RAISE Act actually requires, and why it’s being called the blueprint for AI regulation nationwide.  Whether AI regulation ends up looking like finance and biotech or goes the way of social media — largely unregulated until the damage is done.  What’s coming next from Bores’ office: bills on training data disclosure, content provenance, and a 43-point national AI framework.  Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.  Rebecca Bellan Senior...