OpenAI’s CEO signed a letter in 2023 acknowledging that AI might cause human beings to go extinct. More recently, Anthropic’s CEO said that AI will “test us as a species.” Many Americans seem to believe them: A March poll showed that a majority of voters think the risks of the technology outweigh the benefits. Now, as the midterm elections approach, tech-affiliated super PACs are investing tens of millions of dollars to try to overcome that animus. To understand their strategy, think back just