Who Decides is a US nonprofit focused on AI policy, launched on September 15, 2026 by New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores and his former chief of staff Anna Myers. It had raised $10 million at launch and works through advocacy organizations already active in 11 battleground states. It is unrelated to the Stanford HAI faculty roundtable "Who Decides How America Uses AI in War?" (Who Decides How America Uses AI in War? — Stanford HAI faculty roundtable (2026)).
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit (legal form not stated) |
| Launched | September 15, 2026 |
| Founders | Alex Bores; Anna Myers (Bores's former chief of staff) |
| Funding at launch | $10 million raised; aims to raise $20 million more in 2027, for $30 million ahead of 2028 |
| Geographic focus | 11 battleground states, through organizations already active there |
Background
Bores, the lead Assembly sponsor of New York's RAISE Act, lost the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary for New York's 12th Congressional District after the pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future spent against him (Source: politico.com). Launch coverage presents that loss as part of the organization's origin, putting Leading the Future's spending against Bores at more than $7.6 million and total outside money in the race above $40 million (Source: fortune.com).
Activities and strategy
Bores said the nonprofit is intended to unite the AI advocacy organizations Democrats already trust, help them build out their own agendas rather than handing them one, and establish "a shared floor of an agenda on things that we all want to see good done." He said the group is not trying to outspend Leading the Future or Build American AI, and that it targets 11 battleground states through organizations already working there; the states were not named. Outreach to the group accelerated after Jacob Coxon's resignation from Anthropic in the week before launch. Bores said everyone who had reached out by launch was a Democrat, while saying he was open to hearing from people of any political ideology (Source: fortune.com).
Positions
At launch Bores framed the group's aim as to "give the American people a say in how AI develops," and argued that on AI "it's not even just the answers that are up for grabs, but even the questions that are being asked are up for grabs." He cited a figure of 80% of Americans wanting more AI regulation across parties, and said that "so many of the mega donors who are pushing for there to be no regulation whatsoever are Republican mega donors," naming Marc Andreessen and Elon Musk. He also warned against Democratic advocates turning differences over sub-issues into "a circular firing squad" (Source: fortune.com). Bores's wider positions are recorded at Alex Bores.
Relationships
- related: Alex Bores — co-founder
- contradicts: Leading the Future (super PAC) — the super PAC that spent against Bores; the nonprofit positions itself as an organizing rather than spending counterweight
- related: Public First Action (super PAC), Guardrails Alliance (super PAC) — other pro-regulation political vehicles active in the 2026 cycle
- related: New York RAISE Act, Public Opinion on AI