Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

bloodinthemachine.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 87 posts

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#31

Post by XorNot »

mc32 wrote: post #14
gruez wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never? Even the whole "corporations are people too" meme where this sentiment presumably originated from is often misunderstood. It doesn't mean corporations have the same rights as people, it just means they can conduct transactions and can sue/be used. It doesn't mean they can vote.

It also allows them to be sued. I suppose we could have other mechanisms to sue companies but this is what we’ve come up with.

Requiring one function does not require the other though.

"Corporate personhood" is a legal concept where how person-like a corporation is can be defined in whichever way is convenient to how we want the law to operate.

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#33

Post by WalterBright »

AvAn12 wrote: post #18

If businesspeople want to get involved in politics, they should have the courage to run for office like anybody else. Lurking on the sidelines and waiving money around is really lame and laughable.

If your business is large enough, if you don't donate to politicians, they will target your business.

The government is massive and inserts itself into business operations all the time. The inevitable results happen.

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#34

Post by dragontamer »

voidfunc wrote: post #26
doodlebugging wrote: post #19

Probably a sign that it is past time to tightly regulate all AI-aligned companies and their products to set up guard rails to prevent this level of corruption. I am a person who lives in a state where it is totally legal for lobbyists to walk the floor of the state legislature handing out envelopes of cash to any representative who will line up behind their proposed legislation. Bribery buys state laws here and it bu…

Hahaha... regulation lol. That aint happening in the US. If you do see regulation it will be so crippled as to be meaningless but it'll give something politicians can talk about as "for the people". All regulations are written by industry insiders.

Regulation is not possible with today's politics. But it can become possible as soon as January 2027 politics, which is largely determined by the 2026 November election.

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#35

Post by gruez »

tines wrote: post #15
gruez wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never? Even the whole "corporations are people too" meme where this sentiment presumably originated from is often misunderstood. It doesn't mean corporations have the same rights as people, it just means they can conduct transactions and can sue/be used. It doesn't mean they can vote.

I thought that the "corporations are people" meme was the actual rationale for why corpos "should" be allowed to spend money on elections: spending money for political purposes is free speech, and people have the right to free speech, and corpos are people, so corpos have the right to spend money for political purposes.

>spending money for political purposes is free speech, and people have the right to free speech, and corpos are people, so corpos have the right to spend money for political purposes.

From wikipedia:

>The majority also held that the First Amendment's free press clause protects associations of individuals in addition to individual speakers, and further that the First Amendment does not allow prohibitions of speech based on the speaker's identity. Corporations, as associations of individuals, therefore have free speech rights under the First Amendment.

In other words, corporations have the right to spend money for political purposes not because of corporate personhood or "corporations are people too", it's because first amendment protections apply to associations of people. This covers corporations, but also includes other groups like trade unions.

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#36

Post by Joker_vD »

AvAn12 wrote: post #25
somenameforme wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are people who couldn't care less about political power, but want certain laws passed, and have lots of money. And then there those who couldn't care less about much of anything besides gaining political power and see money and quid quo pro as means to achieve that.

Then those people are on the sidelines like every other citizen. Play the game or be a spectator. Nobody gets to have it both ways.

You have very interesting ideas on how the world should be run. A pity that others ignore them and just do whatever suits them better.

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#37

Post by WalterBright »

ToucanLoucan wrote: post #20
jlarocco wrote: post #12

"Voting with your Wallet" - the American way.

The rich love the concept of voting with your wallet, because by definition they get shitloads more votes than you.

Ballot harvesting should be made illegal.

Re: The AI industry is pouring millions into US elections

#39

Post by voidfunc »

dragontamer wrote: post #34
voidfunc wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hahaha... regulation lol. That aint happening in the US. If you do see regulation it will be so crippled as to be meaningless but it'll give something politicians can talk about as "for the people". All regulations are written by industry insiders.

Regulation is not possible with today's politics. But it can become possible as soon as January 2027 politics, which is largely determined by the 2026 November election.

Nothing of substance will change in 2026. That goose is cooked already after all the gerry mandering
Post reply on HN