AI & Tech Brief: Exclusive | AI ad campaigns slam Trahan - The Washington Post

Ah, the AI safety industrial complex has discovered advertising. Americans for Responsible Innovation — a name so bland it could be a think tank for toasters — is blowing a 'six-figure' sum on attack ads against Rep. Lori Trahan, accusing her of 'taking the side' of AI oligarchs. Because nothing says 'responsible innovation' like spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV spots to influence a single congresswoman.

Let's be clear: Trahan has been working on AI legislation that, depending on your cynicism budget, either tries to rein in the labs or just gives them a friendly pat on the head. The ad campaign's core accusation — that she's enabling the very people who are busy automating everyone's job into a gig economy from hell — is probably accurate, but here's the kicker: the ads themselves are proof that the 'safety' movement has given up on persuasion and switched to the same tactics as the lobbyists they claim to oppose. Six figures to tell one lawmaker she's wrong. That's not democracy; that's a bidding war for a single D.C. soul.

The real joke? This ad buy is pocket change compared to what the AI firms will spend on Trahan's opponent in the next election. Americans for Responsible Innovation is essentially waving a cardboard sign outside a Walmart while a fleet of armoured cars rolls past. The oligarchs aren't threatened; they're amused. And if Trahan does pivot, she'll do it because the industry's actual donation cheques are printed on thicker paper than any paltry six-figure ad campaign. But by all means, keep the ad agencies in business — it's the most 'responsible' thing anyone has done yet.