A leading progressive group is reorienting its organizational mission to focus on combatting artificial intelligence programs and the Big Tech companies developing them. The group argues that the fight against the emergent technology will be the country’s defining political issue for the foreseeable future.
It’s a major change from the Working Families Party, a long-standing New York-based group that supports progressive candidates nationwide and is often at odds with the Democratic Party establishment. But its leaders say the change is necessary because of a lack of leadership on AI issues, including from Democrats.
“We believe it’s time for a hard pivot to make this election a referendum on these technologies,” Maurice Mitchell, WFP’s national director, said in an interview.
WFP’s announcement underscores the already-significant effect AI is having on politics, as everyone from future presidential candidates to congressional leaders scramble to stay ahead of a public with fast-changing views on the subject.
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It also reflects the growing belief among progressives that the issue’s rising importance gives the political left a prime populist attack against Republicans, tapping into widespread voter anxiety over what the technology could mean for public safety and jobs.
“We believe that if we’re in a moment for a political realignment, the issue of AI tech might be able to open up that realignment for us,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said that the WFP had heard concerns about AI all year from its local leaders and from voters, worries that he added have only intensified as experts warn of the existential risks the technology could pose.
“It’s clear that the majority of people do not trust these corporations, do not trust the people who lead these companies, are very anxious about these technologies and are looking for some leadership,” he said. “WFP is going to fill that void.”
In a memo obtained by The Washington Sun, WFP argued that companies needed to “hit pause” on AI development, citing concerns that the technology could directly harm humanity or that the entire industry is a financial bubble whose collapse could bring about catastrophe.
The group said it would support candidates who back an aggressive agenda to rein in industry and pressure other members of the party to do the same. WFP officials said they would support Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar’s ban on artificial superintelligence, which would temporarily pause “advanced AI” development.
“It is our strong belief that combatting the unchecked power of Big Tech corporations will be a defining issue of the time, and the Working Families Party is prepared to be part of leading the opposition,” the memo said.
President Donald Trump has been dismissive of rising concerns about the safety of AI, calling the fear “a hoax.” He’s also continued to push for the rapid construction of data centers across the country, although some Republican congressional candidates have opposed their development.
For most of this year, the proliferation of data centers across the country has been a major campaign issue, as candidates from both parties argued that their construction needed to slow down. But the overall concern about AI development intensified earlier this month, when former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quit his job and warned about the technology’s existential threat to humanity.
“We’re going to be really tying together these concerns around this theme of the people versus the machines,” Mitchell said. “And we think there’s going to be a lot of power in that approach.”
WFP officials said they are also advocating for a federal jobs program to help with AI-related job losses and want to curb AI programs that would help determine health insurance denials or surveillance pricing.
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