CHICAGO (Wednesday, February 11, 2026)-- The so-called “Leading the Future” super PAC, funded by OpenAI stakeholders, plans to spend seven figures in support of Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 2nd District, according to a new report. This is the second special interest group to announce a massive dark money effort in IL-02, as the AIPAC-backed “Affordable Chicago Now” super PAC continues to run ads for Donna Miller. 

Candidate Robert Peters sounded the alarm on Wednesday.

“From AIPAC to Big Tech, the onslaught of outside special interest dark money that is flooding this race should alarm every voter who cares about our democracy and our community’s right to representation,” said Robert Peters. “‘Leading the Future’ is backed by some of Trump’s biggest donors and closest advisors, and they want a Congress that hands them a blank check. They’re backing Jesse Jackson, Jr. for one reason: he has already demonstrated that he can be bought, while I’ve led legislation in Springfield to keep workers and consumers safe.”

Leading the Future is funded by OpenAI President Greg Brockman, a top Trump donor, and his wife Anna, and a16z, the venture capital firm of billionaire Trump administration official and GOP megadonor Marc Andreessen.  

“Among the other AI-world initial contributors to Leading the Future are Joe Lonsdale, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist who co-founded companies including Palantir Technologies, Addepar, and OpenGov, and co-founded and works as the managing partner at the technology investment firm 8VC, and Ron Conway, a venture capitalist and philanthropist who is co-founder of SV Angel,” FOX News reports. Nearly all of these entities are closely tied to Donald Trump.

Peters, a state senator, chaired the Illinois Generative AI and Natural Language Processing Task Force, which issued a report on the risks and opportunities presented by generative AI for the state of Illinois. The Task Force’s report found that “applied responsibly, it can provide solutions to complex challenges, enhance productivity, and foster innovation across fields” but that “the misuse or unregulated deployment of GenAI poses serious risks.” The report found that a failure to regulate AI could “amplify issues such as bias, fraud, and misinformation, disrupt labor markets by displacing workers, and worsen the climate crisis.”

Peters is also chief sponsor of SB 2255, a bill that bans algorithmic price and wage discrimination by making it illegal to set prices based on the behavior of consumers, and sponsored HB 1806, the new law that bans AI mental health therapy, which protects patients from “unregulated and unqualified” AI products that attempt to provide mental health treatment. He voted for HB 4875 and HB 4762, which give artists legal recourse against unpermitted AI replication of their work and likenesses. Peters also supported HB 3773, a law that prohibits the use of AI in employment decisions if it results in discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or age.

“It’s clear that anti-regulation AI special interests are investing in this race because they know that if I get elected, I’ll actually pass regulations that harness the power of AI while keeping us safe from potentially catastrophic consequences — just as I’ve done in Springfield,” said Peters. “This is straight up corruption. It’s time for voters to stand up and tell these outside groups that the 2nd District is not for sale.”

To learn more about Robert Peters’ congressional campaign, please visit RobertPetersForCongress.com.