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In an October 8, 2026, episode of WIRED’s Uncanny Valley, hosts Zoë Schiffer and Leah Feiger examine America PAC’s spending in the 2026 midterms, the overlap between effective altruism and AI safety, and the backlash to lettering artist Jessica Hische’s work for Meta’s Muse AI assistant. WIRED’s spending tracker snapshot through October 6 put America PAC’s 2026-race spending at $31 million, including $24.8 million across seven key Senate contests. Those figures are a point-in-time account of filings, not final cycle totals.
What the episode covers
The episode brings together three stories about technology, politics, and public reaction. Its central thread is where Elon Musk-affiliated America PAC is spending in the 2026 midterms. The hosts also discuss effective altruism and its partial, contested overlap with AI safety, then turn to the response to Jessica Hische’s design work for Meta’s Muse assistant.
For the campaign figures, WIRED’s October 7 article says its live tracker is based on Federal Election Commission filings and updates daily. The amounts below reflect its snapshot through October 6, 2026. They are WIRED’s reported figures from its review of filings; they have not been independently audited here, and later filings may change the totals.
How much America PAC had spent, and where
WIRED reported $31 million in America PAC spending on 2026 races by October 6. Of that total, $24.8 million was directed to seven key Senate contests. The October snapshot showed more than $2 spent opposing Democrats for every $1 spent supporting a Republican candidate, rising to $3 to $1 in Senate races.
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| Measure | WIRED’s reported figure | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 race spending | $31 million | America PAC spending on 2026 races through October 6, 2026. |
| Senate allocation | $24.8 million | Part of the $31 million directed to seven key Senate contests through October 6, 2026. |
| Spending against versus for candidates | More than $2 to $1 | More than $2 opposing Democrats for every $1 supporting a Republican candidate in the October 6 snapshot. |
| Senate spending against versus for candidates | $3 to $1 | Opposing Democrats versus supporting Republicans in Senate races in the October 6 snapshot. |
| Same-point 2024 comparison | $85.9 million | WIRED’s reported America PAC candidate spending by the comparable point in 2024, versus $31 million by that point in 2026. |
| Full 2024 cycle | $261 million | WIRED’s reported America PAC spending in the 2024 cycle; about 95 percent of its funding came from Musk. |
The comparison is not simply that the 2026 figure is smaller: WIRED describes the newer spending as more concentrated on key Senate contests, while the PAC’s 2024 spending was overwhelmingly focused on the presidential race. The $261 million figure covers the full 2024 cycle; it is not a same-date comparison with the October 2026 snapshot.
Which Senate races received the reported spending
WIRED’s figures show activity in several states. State totals and candidate-specific amounts are different cuts of the spending: the state amounts below are not necessarily exhausted by the listed candidate spending.
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| State or race | Reported spending | Direction and context |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $11.2 million | Directed to the Texas Senate race since late August, according to WIRED. More than $9.4 million opposed Democrat James Talarico, while $1.8 million supported Republican Ken Paxton. |
| Ohio | About $5 million | Directed to the Ohio Senate race. WIRED reported $3.3 million opposing Sherrod Brown and $1.6 million supporting Jon Husted. |
| Michigan | About $5 million | Directed to the Michigan Senate race; the cited account did not give a candidate-by-candidate breakdown here. |
| Iowa | Candidate-specific amounts reported | $1.5 million opposed Josh Turek and about $100,000 supported Ashley Hinson. WIRED characterized the imbalance as 14 to 1. |
The dollar amounts are rounded as reported by WIRED. In particular, the Iowa characterization is WIRED’s stated ratio; the rounded figures should not be treated as a precise recalculation.
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How the spending fits into the broader political picture
WIRED also reported that America PAC had spent more than $83 million boosting Republican candidates and causes since the start of President Trump’s second term. Separately, Musk personally gave $40 million to other Republican groups between June 2025 and May 2026. That $40 million is not described as America PAC spending, so it should not be added to the PAC’s race totals as though it were the same category.
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The article frames control of the Senate as consequential because Democrats would need to flip four battleground seats while retaining three seats they already held. It discusses a Democratic-controlled Senate as a possible venue for investigations of Musk and consideration of technology and AI legislation that could affect his companies. Those are potential outcomes, not predictions that either event will occur.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the episode says about effective altruism and AI safety
The hosts describe effective altruism as a broad effort to use resources efficiently to improve lives. They say some AI researchers connect that philosophy with concern about catastrophic AI risks, while emphasizing that the movement is diverse and that its overlap with AI safety is incomplete. These are the hosts’ explanations and framing, not a claim that effective altruism and AI safety are interchangeable.
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The episode also reports that senior Pentagon officials called effective altruism a “dangerous ideology” and that a Department of Defense account urged “Americanism, not effective altruism.” Those remarks have not been independently verified here, so they should be understood as claims attributed to the episode rather than independently confirmed official statements.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Schiffer’s transcript-attributed observation, “Like any movement, it’s a spectrum,” captures the episode’s caution against treating a broad movement as a single position. WIRED labels the transcript automated, so exact wording should be checked against the audio before relying on it as a verbatim quotation. The hosts’ discussion of the political or regulatory motivations of Musk and technology investors is analysis; the episode’s interpretation should not be presented as proof of private motives.
Why Jessica Hische’s Muse logo became part of the discussion
WIRED reports that lettering artist Jessica Hische designed an icon and logotype for Meta’s Muse AI assistant, then received criticism after sharing the client work publicly. The article says Hische explained that freelance projects help support her Oakland art and stationery businesses. It also reports that some social-media users criticized the decision and posted personal information.
In her WIRED interview, Hische said, “AI is such a third rail, and Meta is such a third rail.” The episode’s inclusion of the story points to the broader tension around public-facing AI work: a design commission can be judged not only as a piece of client work, but also as an apparent association with a company and a technology that attract strong reactions.
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