- A dark-money group, Build American AI, funded by a super PAC tied to tech figures from OpenAI and Palantir, paid lifestyle influencers to promote US AI dominance without clear disclosure.
- The campaign initially focused on generic pro-AI messaging but shifted to emphasizing China's AI advancements as a threat, with influencers offered up to $5,000 per TikTok video.
- Influencers often label posts as advertisements without revealing the funder, raising concerns about undisclosed political propaganda and erosion of democratic trust.
- The group aims to influence AI policy ahead of the 2026 midterms by countering negative narratives about AI, leveraging the fact that 53% of US adults get news from social media.
- OpenAI and Palantir deny corporate affiliation or funding for the campaign, while other companies like Andreessen Horowitz and Perplexity did not respond or declined to comment.