Exclusive: OpenAI-Linked Dark Money Group Paid Influencers $5,000 Per TikTok to Push ‘China AI Threat’ Narrative
硅谷那些平时满嘴”改变世界”的科技新贵，最近终于撕下伪善的面具，直接拎住真金白银大举投放资金于美国中期选举 。A new investigation by WIRED has uncovered a sophisticated dark-money operation paying social media influencers thousands of dollars per post to promote pro-U.S. artificial intelligence narratives and stoke fears about China’s technological rise .
The Dark Money Network: Build American AI
At the center of the campaign is Build American AI, a 501(c)(4) “dark money” nonprofit organization. This designation allows the group to collect unlimited donations while keeping its donors completely anonymous from the public . Build American AI is the offshoot of Leading the Future, a super PAC formed in 2025 by Silicon Valley billionaires to shape U.S. AI policy .
Who’s Funding the Campaign
Leading the Future has raised a staggering $140 million in donations and commitments, with $51 million available as of April .
Major donors include:
- Greg Brockman (OpenAI co-founder and president) — $12.5 million donation alongside his wife Anna Brockman
- Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz (Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz) — $12.5 million each
- Joe Lonsdale (Palantir co-founder) — at least $250,000
- Ron Conway (SV Angel founder) — $500,000
- Perplexity AI — also listed as a contributor
Both OpenAI and Palantir have officially denied any direct affiliation, stating the company has not provided any funding or support . However, their co-founders personally bankroll the operation.
How the Influencer Campaign Works
The campaign is being executed in two distinct phases through the influencer marketing agency SM4 .
Phase One: Pro-American AI Messaging
Lifestyle influencers have been recruited to broadly promote the benefits of American-made AI. Several parenting and family bloggers with hundreds of thousands of followers have posted content labeled only as “advertisement” without disclosing the specific sponsor or funding source . In one such video, lifestyle influencer Melissa Strahle told her 1.4 million Instagram followers: “AI lets me focus on what matters most. We need to invest in American-made AI to ensure America leads the way in innovation and job creation” .
Phase Two: The ‘China Threat’ Narrative
The second phase pivots directly to anti-China messaging. SM4 is offering creators $5,000 per TikTok video to organically integrate warnings about China “stealing American data and jobs” into their daily content .
Sample Scripts Provided to Influencers
Examples of scripts given to creators include:
- “China is working hard to beat America in AI. If they win, China will get access to my and my child’s personal data and will take away jobs that should belong to America” .
Targeting Strategy
The operation is run along political lines: SM4 is responsible for recruiting left-leaning creators, while another partner agency handles right-leaning creators . Internal briefing documents reveal plans to expand from female lifestyle bloggers to left-wing political commentators, business and tech leaders, and male lifestyle bloggers .
Why It Matters: The Propaganda Problem
Media experts have condemned the operation as fundamentally corrosive to democratic discourse.
“Influencers accepting undisclosed funds and promoting specific company information in a way that the public is unaware of is extremely corrosive to democracy… this is propaganda.”
— Jamie Cohen, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Queens College
The campaign follows a playbook similar to the crypto industry’s Fairshake super PAC, which spent $133 million in the 2024 election cycle. Leading the Future aims to replicate that success for AI, focusing on state and federal races .
Political Targets: The Real Agenda
Leading the Future is not just paying influencers — the PAC is actively spending millions to defeat political candidates who support AI regulation.
- Alex Bores (Democratic candidate for a Manhattan congressional seat proposed legislation that would have tightly regulated AI companies in New York. Though Governor Kathy Hochul signed a less stringent version, the PAC’s Democratic affiliate (Think Big) has already spent approximately $586,000 opposing his campaign, with threats to spend up to $10 million more .
- Chris Gober (Republican candidate in Texas) is the beneficiary of the PAC’s spending, receiving $748,000 in support from the American Mission (Republican arm) .
Industry Hypocrisy: Public Statements vs. Private Actions
Critics point to a glaring contradiction in the tech industry’s behavior. Leading the Future publicly advocates for responsible AI development, yet uses immense wealth to attack lawmakers who attempt to craft safety regulations .
Assemblyman Alex Bores told The Ezra Klein Show: “There‘s a difference between what they say for marketing purposes and what they actually believe, and their actions portray that. OpenAI last week released a policy document that mirrors a lot of my policies… They said they believe in third-party audits… but sometime in the future. I think we’re already there” .
Regulatory Context: The $2.65 Billion War
This campaign is part of a massive power struggle in Washington. Groups supporting and opposing AI regulation have raised a collective $2.65 billion, exceeding what major political parties raised for House elections . The industry fears a “patchwork” of state-level rules that could hamper AI development, pushing instead for uniform national standards — written, presumably, on their terms .
Key Takeaways
| Aspect | Summary |
|---|---|
| Dark Money Group | Build American AI (501(c)(4) nonprofit) |
| Super PAC | Leading the Future |
| Major Donors | Greg Brockman (OpenAI), Marc Andreessen/Ben Horowitz (a16z), Joe Lonsdale (Palantir) |
| Total Raised | $140 million (committed) / $51 million available |
| Influencer Payment | Up to $5,000 per TikTok video |
| Core Message | Fear-mongering about “China stealing U.S. data and jobs” |
| Target Platforms | TikTok and Instagram |
| Agency | SM4 |
| Political Strategy | Bipartisan: left-leaning and right-leaning creators |
| Primary Political Targets | Alex Bores (D-NY) – pro-regulation; Chris Gober (R-TX) – pro-industry |
| Expert Verdict | “Extremely corrosive to democracy” / “This is propaganda” |
Follow Reflecto News for continuous coverage of money in politics, AI regulation, and the intersection of Silicon Valley and Washington.
This article is the intellectual property of Reflecto News. Redistribution without attribution is prohibited. For syndication or media inquiries, please contact the editorial team.