Alex Bores on AI, Democracy, and the Fight for NY-12

Assemblymember Alex Bores is one of the only lawmakers in America who can read both a bill and a codebase — and he's now running for Congress in New York’s competitive 12th District. In this episode, we dig into his push for AI regulation, the super PAC trying to knock him off the ballot, why Big Tech is watching this race, and how a coder’s mindset changes politics. We also talk childcare, democracy, growing up in Manhattan, and the small privacy settings on your phone that matter more than you think.Show NotesGuest: Assemblymember Alex Bores, candidate for Congress in NY-12Host: Juan Manuel BenítezLocation: Columbia Journalism School, NYCTopics we cover:Why AI is improving far faster than people realizeWhat the RAISE Act actually does — and why major AI labs oppose itIndustry secrecy, privacy law failures, and how your data is being usedChina’s AI strategy and why Big Tech’s talking points don’t holdThe six-figure Silicon Valley super PAC targeting himAffordability, childcare, democracy, and the future of NYC familiesGrowing up in Manhattan, labor organizing, Central Park memoriesThe whiskey he swears anyone can learn to loveHis go-to iPhone privacy settings — including one Uber/Lyft toggle everyone should shut offLinks Mentioned in the Episode📺 Alex Bores’ Campaign Launch Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwWJAX0Q0wA📚 Book Recommendation — Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka(New York Public Library link)https://www.nypl.org/research/collections/shared-collection-catalog/bib/b23691530🌳ParksCentral Park https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-parkCarl Schurz Park — the Upper East Side park along the East River https://www.carlschurzparknyc.org/🛠 Organizations & Bills MentionedRAISE Act (AI safety legislation Bores sponsored)https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Text=Y&bn=A06453&default_fld&leg_video&term&utm_sAnthropic (developer of Claude AI)https://www.anthropic.comNVIDIAhttps://www.nvidia.comPark Avenue Synagogue (community cleanup he mentions)https://pasyn.orgNew York Common Pantry (his suggested year-end charity)https://nycommonpantry.org