According to a WIRED investigation, the pro-AI super PAC network Leading the Future has channeled tens of millions of dollars to Nevada-based LLCs that appear to exist only as mail drops. One recipient, Lantern Production Consultants, received about $20 million from Think Big, a Democratic-leaning super PAC in the network, yet its address is a post office box in a Sparks shopping center. Other LLCs list a Reno mail center, a Staples location, and a Henderson strip mall.
The network, which has raised over $140 million to support AI-friendly candidates in the midterms, also operates American Mission, a Republican-leaning super PAC. Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the FEC in May, alleging the LLCs are shell companies used to hide the actual recipients of payments, in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act. The FEC has not had a quorum since May 2025, so the complaint is unlikely to be acted on soon.
Leading the Future spokesperson Jesse Hunt called the complaint "a desperate ploy for attention" from Anthropic and Public First, a pro-AI transparency PAC. Public First denied any involvement, and Anthropic did not respond to WIRED's request for comment. The network's unusual strategy of funding both parties has also drawn scrutiny, as it suggests vendors may be crossing partisan lines in ways that would normally be newsworthy.