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Chakrabarti accuses rival Wiener of diluting AI safeguards for donors
Urging people to vote against Wiener, Chakrabarti alleged that his rival will allegedly continue working for AI lobbyists if elected.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Tue, 21, Apr 2026
- 04:54 EDT
- 19
Saikat Chakrabarti / Wikimedia commons
U.S. Congress hopeful Saikat Chakrabarti has declared that he will push for meaningful changes to AI laws if elected to represent California’s 11th Congressional District, accusing his rival, California state Sen. Scott Wiener, of watering down AI regulation laws after meeting with AI lobbyists.
Chakrabarti accused the “AI super PAC” of spending “whatever it takes” to back Wiener, claiming that their monetary backing stems from Wiener’s pro-AI industry bill, which “after meeting with AI industry lobbyists, he watered down” to a point where it’s “practically meaningless.”
He said on X, “The AI lobby has entered our race to bankroll my opponent, Scott Wiener. That’s because he worked with them to water down AI regulations in California. As his reward, he gets a huge super PAC.”
Scott Wiener’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, SB 53, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2025.
ALSO READ: Justice Democrats backs Saikat Chakrabarti for Congress
The law requires large AI developers to publicly disclose safety frameworks for advanced “frontier” models, mandates reporting on catastrophic risks, and includes whistleblower protections.
Under the new law, whistleblower protections apply only to “covered employees” involved in AI safety. They shield disclosures of specific, substantial dangers to public health and safety from catastrophic AI risks or legal violations. Critics say the scope is narrower than earlier versions and other sectors.
It is often described as a more measured follow-up to Wiener’s earlier SB 1047, which was vetoed by Newsom for stifling innovation, driving AI companies out of California, and giving a false sense of security without properly targeting high-risk uses.
Chakrabarti, however, alleged corruption and collusion and said, “He (Wiener) dramatically reduced whistleblower protections to a point where it’s out of line with every other industry, and he reduced potential fines on the companies from $10 million to $1 million. These companies spend that much money every 20 minutes. It’s nothing.”
Chakrabarti continued, “But it’s a win-win for Scott Wiener and the AI lobby. Scott Wiener gets to say he’s regulating AI because he knows that’s popular, and the AI companies get to continue doing whatever they want pretty much unchecked. And that’s why they’re backing him, because this is his reward for doing their bidding.”
The AI lobby has entered our race to bankroll my opponent, Scott Wiener. That's because he worked with them to water down AI regulations in California. As his reward, he gets a huge super PAC.
— Saikat Chakrabarti for Congress (@saikatc) April 20, 2026
I'm not taking any corporate PAC or lobbyist money, and in Congress, I’m going to end… pic.twitter.com/SznAtjs01l
Urging people to vote against Wiener, Chakrabarti alleged that his rival will allegedly continue working for AI lobbyists if elected.
He added, “I’ve been saying for months that we need to control AI so that it works for humanity rather than just to consolidate wealth and power into the hands of a few oligarchs. The AI companies know they can’t control me, so now they’re going to do whatever they can to defeat me.”
Chakrabarti, who was born to Indian Bengali parents in Texas, is a progressive and vocal advocate for structural reforms within the Democratic Party.
The Harvard-educated software engineer and political strategist rose to prominence during the 2016 presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, where he played a key role in organizing grassroots technology efforts.
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