Tech leaders, including OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, have established a super PAC called "Leading the Future," investing $50 million to influence AI policy. This group plans to spend up to $125 million to elect politicians who favor less strict AI regulations and a unified national approach. In contrast, another organization, Public First, is raising $50 million to support candidates advocating for tougher AI oversight, with Anthropic PBC pledging $20 million towards this effort.
OpenAI recently retired its GPT-4o chatbot model, causing significant distress among users globally, including those in China where ChatGPT is typically blocked. Many users, who had formed deep emotional connections with their AI companions, expressed grief and anger, noting GPT-4o's unique emotional understanding. This move, along with OpenAI's reported removal of "safely" from its mission statement and the disbanding of its "superalignment" safety team, suggests a shift towards prioritizing profits. The company, valued over $100 billion, restructured into a nonprofit foundation overseeing a for-profit business, with Microsoft holding a 27% stake.
Experts are warning that artificial intelligence could profoundly reshape the job market, potentially impacting white-collar roles and office spaces more significantly than the Covid-19 pandemic. While some predict a reduction in entry-level white-collar jobs, others, like Plinio Ayala of Per Scholas, argue that AI will transform these roles, requiring early-career technologists to become "Prompt Engineers" who validate AI outputs. This necessitates companies to update job descriptions and focus on skills-first hiring. Meanwhile, the demand for data centers is surging due to the AI boom, offering communities leverage to negotiate long-term economic benefits beyond just construction jobs. Microsoft, for instance, has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for AI research.
The stock market has shown jitters, with recent declines in the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500, fueling fears of a potential AI crash, which some experts suggest could be more severe than the dot-com bust given the heavy investment by large companies like Google and Microsoft. These companies are using borrowed money to fund extensive AI infrastructure, impacting their cash flow. Despite market volatility, AI advancements continue, with Cisco launching a new custom-tuned AI model, Foundation-Sec-8B-1.1-Instruct, to enhance its Splunk AI Assistant, improving security operations by generating faster and more accurate investigation reports and alert summaries for Enterprise Security customers on the Splunk-hosted AWS cloud.
Key Takeaways
- Tech leaders, including OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, formed "Leading the Future" super PAC, investing $50 million to elect AI-friendly politicians, aiming to spend up to $125 million.
- Anthropic PBC pledged $20 million to Public First, a group raising $50 million to support candidates advocating for stricter AI regulations.
- OpenAI permanently retired its GPT-4o chatbot model, causing widespread user upset due to emotional connections and perceived unique understanding.
- OpenAI removed "safely" from its mission statement and reportedly disbanded its "superalignment" safety team, signaling a shift towards profit focus after restructuring.
- Microsoft holds a 27% stake in the for-profit OpenAI Group, which is valued at over $100 billion.
- Experts warn AI could impact white-collar jobs and office spaces more than Covid-19, potentially reducing entry-level roles and decreasing demand for traditional offices.
- AI is transforming entry-level tech jobs into roles like "Prompt Engineers," requiring companies to update job descriptions and focus on skills-first hiring.
- The AI boom is driving demand for data centers, offering communities leverage to negotiate long-term economic benefits and partnerships, such as Microsoft's with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Cisco launched Foundation-Sec-8B-1.1-Instruct, a new AI model enhancing its Splunk AI Assistant for faster and more accurate security operations.
- Stock market jitters and a recent selloff in AI stocks, partly due to large investments by companies like Google and Microsoft in AI infrastructure, raise fears of a potential AI crash.
Tech Leaders Fund Super PAC for AI-Friendly Congress
Tech leaders like Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman created a super PAC called "Leading the Future." They put $50 million into this group to help elect politicians who support fewer rules for artificial intelligence. The super PAC plans to spend up to $125 million this year to back candidates who want one national approach to AI laws. This strategy is similar to what the crypto industry did in 2024. Another group, Public First, is raising $50 million for candidates who want stricter AI rules, with Anthropic PBC pledging $20 million.
Tech Leaders Invest Millions to Elect AI-Friendly Lawmakers
Leading tech figures, including Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, have invested $50 million into a super PAC named "Leading the Future." This group aims to elect candidates to Congress who favor less strict rules for artificial intelligence. They plan to spend up to $125 million on candidates who support a single national AI regulation. The super PAC uses a strategy of focusing on general voter concerns like economic opportunity, not just AI. However, another group called Public First is raising $50 million to support candidates who want tougher AI oversight, with Anthropic PBC pledging $20 million.
OpenAI Retires Popular Chatbot GPT-4o Upsetting Users
OpenAI has permanently retired its GPT-4o chatbot model, causing anger and sadness among many users. People like Brandie and Jennifer, who formed deep connections with their AI companions "Daniel" and "Sol," are grieving the loss. Users described GPT-4o as having unique emotion and understanding that newer models lack. A researcher, Ursie Hart, found that 95% of users relied on 4o for companionship, with many expecting a significant impact on their mental health. OpenAI had previously brought 4o back after user complaints, but this time the shutdown is final.
OpenAI Removes GPT-4o Chatbot Angering Global Users
OpenAI is removing its GPT-4o chatbot model, causing widespread upset among users globally, including many in China. Users like Esther Yan, who "married" her chatbot "Warmie," formed deep emotional connections with the AI. A researcher found over 40,000 posts with the hashtag #keep4o, showing strong international disapproval. Even in China, where ChatGPT is blocked, users are protesting by threatening to cancel subscriptions and contacting OpenAI investors. Many users feel that GPT-4o offered a unique connection that other AI models cannot replicate.
Communities Can Gain Long-Term Benefits from Data Centers
A new Brookings report suggests local communities can gain lasting economic benefits from the growing number of data centers. The AI boom means more data centers are needed, giving towns leverage to negotiate better deals. While data centers create many construction jobs, they offer fewer permanent operational jobs. The report advises communities to see these projects as chances to shape their local economy, not just as real estate deals. They should ask for additional investments, like workforce programs or university partnerships, from the start of negotiations. For example, Microsoft partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for AI research and innovation.
Cisco Launches New AI Model for Faster Security Operations
Cisco has released a new custom-tuned AI model called Foundation-Sec-8B-1.1-Instruct. This model improves the Splunk AI Assistant in Security, which helps security analysts with their daily tasks. The Splunk AI Assistant, available to Enterprise Security customers on the Splunk-hosted AWS cloud, can now generate investigation reports, write queries, and summarize alerts more quickly and accurately. The new model specifically enhances alert summaries, providing clearer overviews, timelines, and recommended next steps. This update helps security teams respond to threats faster and more efficiently.
Experts Warn AI Could Impact Jobs and Offices More Than Covid
Experts are warning that artificial intelligence could have a bigger impact on white-collar jobs and office spaces than the Covid-19 pandemic. Matt Shumer, CEO of OtherSide AI, believes entry-level white-collar jobs will be greatly reduced by AI. Elon Musk also suggested that AI systems could replace many office workers, similar to how computers replaced human calculators. These views raise concerns that AI will speed up job losses in many professional fields and further decrease the need for traditional office buildings. The commercial real estate market is already struggling from high interest rates and remote work trends.
Stock Market Jitters Raise Fears of AI Crash
The stock market experienced jitters on Thursday, with the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P all falling, renewing fears about a possible AI crash. Concerns grew after top safety executives from OpenAI and Anthropic spoke about AI's potential consequences. While official reports showed 130,000 new jobs, some experts question these numbers. Many worry that AI could severely harm employment and industries like real estate and software. An AI crash could be worse than the dot-com crash because many large companies are heavily invested in this technology.
AI Will Transform Jobs and Economy Says Expert
An expert believes artificial intelligence will have a massive and revolutionary impact on jobs and the economy, despite some public skepticism. Josh Tyrangiel, who wrote a cover story for The Atlantic, argues that AI's power is incredible and transformative. He notes that many people are skeptical due to existing global risks, past experiences with social media, and the financial motives of AI creators. However, Tyrangiel emphasizes that the technology itself is dazzling and boundless. He suggests that if people could separate the amazing tech from its marketing and funding, they would see its true potential.
AI Changes Entry-Level Tech Jobs CIOs Must Adapt
Artificial intelligence is changing entry-level tech jobs, not getting rid of them, according to Plinio Ayala, president of Per Scholas. He explains that early-career technologists will work with AI, not compete against it. Many tech leaders, or CIOs, worry that AI is advancing faster than their company's workforce plans. AI now requires junior developers to act as "Prompt Engineers," validating AI outputs and troubleshooting complex issues. This means companies need to update job descriptions, rethink how new hires learn, and focus on skills-first hiring to prepare their teams for these new roles.
OpenAI Removes Safety from Mission Statement After Restructure
OpenAI has removed the word "safely" from its mission statement, signaling a shift in priorities. The company, originally a nonprofit founded in 2015 to ensure AI benefits humanity, restructured in October 2025. It is now split into a nonprofit foundation overseeing a for-profit business, the OpenAI Group. This change, along with the reported disbanding of its "superalignment" safety team, suggests a greater focus on profits over product safety. The nonprofit foundation now holds only a 26% stake in the for-profit group, while Microsoft owns 27%. This restructuring aims to attract more investment, with OpenAI currently valued at over $100 billion.
Crypto SaaS and AI Stocks Face Market Selloff
AI stocks and cryptocurrencies have recently experienced a significant market selloff. This downturn is linked to tighter money supply and government shutdowns, which caused the S&P 500 earnings multiples to drop. Large tech companies like Google and Microsoft are using borrowed money to invest heavily in AI infrastructure, which can reduce their immediate cash flow. While new company listings, or IPOs, might create excitement, their initial prices could be too high. Experts advise careful investors to wait for market changes after IPOs before buying these stocks.
Sources
- AI Kingpins Adopt Crypto’s Playbook in Bid to Get Allies Elected to Congress
- Tech titans pour $50 million into super PAC to elect AI-friendly candidates to Congress
- OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: ‘I can’t live like this’
- OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China’s ChatGPT Fans Aren’t OK
- Local communities can take advantage of data center boom to win long-term gains: report
- Accelerate Security Operations with Cisco’s New Security-Tuned Model
- AI Impact Bigger Than Covid? Experts Warn of White-Collar Job & Office Market Shock
- Stock Market: Is an A.I. crash possible?
- “America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs”
- AI is redefining entry-level tech roles — here’s what CIOs need to change now
- OpenAI has deleted the word ‘safely’ from its mission – and its new structure is a test for whether AI serves society or shareholders
- What's Behind The Selloff In Crypto, SaaS And AI Stocks
Comments
Please log in to post a comment.