AI companies spend record sums on lobbying as Washington battles over export controls intensify

AI companies spend record sums on Washington lobbying

America's leading AI companies spent record sums on lobbying in Washington in recent months as they try to limit unfriendly regulation and shape the US rules around data centres and vetting advanced models. OpenAI nearly doubled its federal lobbying expenditure to a record $2.22mn in the first half of 2026, compared to last year, while Anthropic nearly tripled its spending to $3.53mn, according to federal disclosures. Google, along with Microsoft, spent as much as in any quarter since 2020. The increase comes as the AI industry confronts political battles on multiple fronts and builds a more permanent influence operation in Washington, according to lobbyists and policy experts. "The lobbying offensive has been as much about deterring regulation as making the case for an affirmative government industrial policy that supports the industry," said Amba Kak, co-executive director of AI Now Institute and senior adviser on AI to the Federal Trade Commission during Joe Biden's administration. The top issues on the lobbying agenda include the federal rules governing the release of new models, after the US last month wielded export controls to stop the rollout of Anthropic's Fable model over cyber security concerns. Companies also want to influence policy around the construction and power for massive data centres, as well as rules governing whether developers make the underlying parameters for their models publicly available, according to federal disclosures and lobbyists involved in the policy discussions. Joseph Hoefer, chief AI officer at Monument Advocacy, said: "It's an export-controlled technology like semiconductors, an infrastructure build-out like telecoms or power, a procurement relationship like defence, and a liability question like the [social media] platforms, all at the same time. No single playbook covers that." The industry "lost loudly" an effort to get Congress to ban state-level AI regulation, something Donald Trump has tried to enforce with an executive order, said Kak. But beyond that, "very little else has moved in terms of regulation. Overall, I would say it's been a good quarter for them." The Trump administration, most vocally through former AI tsar David Sacks, has favoured a light-touch federal framework and warned a patchwork of state laws could stifle innovation. But rapid technical advances and competition from China have also forced officials to intervene on issues such as model releases -- mostly through company-specific decisions rather than generally applicable rules. Gregory Allen, founder of tech policy analysis firm Decision Tree Research and former senior AI adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: "Even when [policy is] written down, it's like letters to one company as opposed to rules that consistently apply to everyone and that's a real gap in the policy right now." Kak said: "The fact that we're seeing so much soft regulation -- or, really, soft executive signals rather than hard, enforceable regulation -- is an outcome of the lobbying offensive, rather than a reality the industry is trying to navigate." Although the leading AI companies share interests on many issues, they do not always present a unified front. Companies have diverged over questions including model safeguards, open-source systems and the appropriate role of federal regulation. Anthropic added the Treasury department to the list of federal agencies it lobbied for the first time during the quarter. This week, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent reiterated threats to impose sanctions on Chinese AI labs over allegations that they had used outputs from the US company's models to train their smaller systems. Other companies that increased their lobbying expenditure in recent months include Scale AI, a data-labelling and model-evaluation company in which Meta owns a 49 per cent stake, and Tencent, the Chinese group behind the WeChat messaging platform and developer of the Hunyuan family of AI models. Among the firms winning Silicon Valley's business are Ballard Partners, the top lobbyist for Anthropic and semiconductor manufacturer AMD, as well as Miller Strategies, which reported the most lobbying business from OpenAI in 2026. Google said it was advocating for "federal legislation that promotes American leadership in AI, ensuring it's developed responsibly and benefits everyone". OpenAI, Anthropic and Microsoft did not respond for comment.

OpenAI, Anthropic boost lobbying as legacy tech and defense spending slips

OpenAI and Anthropic increased their federal lobbying spending to record levels in the second quarter of 2026 as the artificial intelligence industry poured millions into influencing Washington ahead of the midterm elections and ahead of their highly anticipated IPOs. Together, the two leading AI developers spent $3.17 million during the quarter, up 23% from the first three months of the year, according to federal lobbying disclosures. Anthropic spent $1.97 million from April through June, up 26% from the first quarter. OpenAI spent $1.2 million, an increase of nearly 18%. The companies reported lobbying on issues including cybersecurity, copyright, cloud computing and defense procurement. Monitoring lobbying spending, which companies must report quarterly to Congress, is a way to gauge which companies and industries are most active in influencing the federal government. Companies with interests in shaping legislation or regulation often ramp up their spending. Established technology and defense companies still spend far more overall, but OpenAI and Anthropic are narrowing the gap with some of Washington's biggest corporate lobbying operations. For example, Anthropic spent more on lobbying than Nvidia during the quarter and nearly matched Oracle's $2 million total. OpenAI came within $50,000 of Nvidia, which spent $1.25 million. Both AI companies also sharply increased their spending from the second quarter of last year: Anthropic's more than doubled, while OpenAI's nearly doubled.

Anthropic doubles funding for AI policy fight ahead of elections

Why it matters: That's now $40 million the company has committed to public education efforts on AI ahead of elections. Driving the news: Anthropic said its decision to double its donation was driven by increasingly powerful AI models, including its own Mythos model, and the risks they pose. * Public First Action, a 501(c)(4), is tied to three super PACs that back candidates across the political spectrum who support AI safeguards. * Anthropic said its donations were made exclusively to support Public First Action's policy mission and can't be used to influence the election of any particular candidate. What they're saying: "Our donation to Public First Action is one way in which we're trying to raise the salience of this urgent policy debate," the company said in a press release. The big picture: AI advocacy groups are heading into the midterms with significant cash on hand.

Anthropic ramps up lobbying spending amid AI policy fights

Why it matters: Tech companies are pouring millions into lobbying as Washington's regulatory moves threaten to make or break AI industry players. * Anthropic again outspent OpenAI on lobbying, trailing only the largest tech companies overall. Driving the news: Anthropic spent nearly $2 million on lobbying in Q2, focusing on export controls, cybersecurity and AI safety standards, among other issues. * Company lobbyists met with lawmakers in both chambers of Congress, as well as officials at the White House, Commerce Department and Treasury Department. * Anthropic has already spent more than $3.5 million in the first half of this year, a sharp increase from the $3.1 million it spent during all of 2025. * The company also disclosed lobbying on Defense Department procurement, funding for the Energy Department's Genesis Mission and AI in health care. Zoom in: Anthropic's engagement with the Trump administration reached an inflection point last month when Commerce imposed export controls on the lab, leading to its models going dark and sparking a scramble to negotiate. The big picture: The latest filings show that all of the major AI labs are tracking government AI safety standards and regulatory approaches closely. * OpenAI, which also faced government delays on the rollout of its latest model and posted its biggest-ever quarterly lobbying total, spent $1.2 million in Q2. * The company disclosed lobbying on copyright, cloud computing and infrastructure, cybersecurity and privacy. * Google spent $3.57 million, while Microsoft reported $2.69 million. By the numbers: Meta is consistently the biggest tech lobbying spender and Q2 of this year was no different, with the company doling out $5.99 million. * Company lobbyists focused on online child safety, privacy, AI transparency and energy infrastructure, among other issues. * Meta is also the frequent target of bipartisan congressional scrutiny into a lack of child protections online, a longtime issue that's clashing with its chatbot ambitions. The bottom line: AI companies are investing heavily in lobbying Washington as the Trump administration's decisions directly shape how they build and deploy advanced AI.

Where OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and other AI giants stand on regulation

The contribution brings Anthropic's total donations to the group to $40 million. It comes as the midterm elections in the U.S. draw closer and AI legislation remains a political hot button. "We've long argued that frontier AI companies should be transparent about what their models can do and how they're managing the risks," the company said in a statement. "We've supported newly passed laws in several states that require greater transparency for AI developers. But given how fast the capabilities of the most powerful models are advancing, transparency alone is insufficient." While Anthropic is putting its money where its mouth is, not all of its peers share its enthusiasm for government regulation. Here's where the other major AI players stand.

Anthropic to Donate $20 Million to US Political Group That Supports AI Regulation

WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - AI giant Anthropic will ⁠donate $20 ⁠million to a lobbying ⁠organization that supports AI regulation, according to a company statement released on Wednesday, its latest move to influence U.S. policy on the technology. The company is donating to Public First Action, a political group that advocates for "mitigating major AI risks," according ⁠to its ⁠website. The amount is in addition to $20 million the company gave the organization in February. The donation is the latest attempt by the AI sector to increase its influence over U.S. policy, as the federal government considers more oversight of the sector. Several states have already passed AI-related laws, and others ⁠are considering ⁠similar measures. In addition to ⁠lobbying U.S. officials, Public First Action also supports two political action committees that give money to candidates who ⁠support their agenda. Those committees have donated to Republican U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Democratic U.S. House candidate Brian Poindexter of Ohio, and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, among other candidates for federal ⁠office, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Reuters. In a statement, ⁠an Anthropic spokesperson said the donation "cannot be used to influence the election of any candidate for federal, state or local office." Public First Action is a tax-exempt political group. Federal law allows those organizations to run issue advertisements, which focus on a political topic instead of encouraging viewers to vote for a specific candidate. Two former members of Congress launched Public First Action late last year to counter the ⁠political group Leading the Future, which generally opposes strict AI regulations. Leading the Future is backed by AI industry executives such as OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Andreessen's firm, A16Z, is an investor in OpenAI, an Anthropic rival. (Reporting by Courtney Rozen; Editing by Chris Reese)

Anthropic pours another $20 million into AI safety group

Anthropic will pour another $20 million into Public First Action, the nonprofit organization advocating for safeguards on artificial intelligence. The contribution, announced by the company Wednesday, brings the Claude-maker's total funds given to the group to $40 million. Public First Action is the policy arm of Public First, a super PAC backing candidates who support stronger guardrails on AI. Anthropic emphasized the latest contribution was made for the organization's "public-education and policy mission," and cannot be used to "influence" any federal, state or local election candidates. AI firms and their executives are playing a larger role than ever in the midterms cycle, with the industry poised to be one of the elections' top spenders. Anthropic's latest donation comes a week after recent campaign finance filings showed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei gave $1 million to the super PAC, while several company employees gave a combined $2.15 million over the last quarter. The firm gave $20 million the group for its first donation in February. Explaining the timing, Anthropic pointed to its release of Claude Mythos Preview, its most advanced AI cybersecurity model at the time. The model was released initially to a limited set of cybersecurity, technology and financial institutions, along with the government. "In the wrong hands, models like this could threaten the critical systems the country relies on, from hospitals to the energy grid," the company wrote in a release. The company said that more capable models will yield benefits in science, medicine and the economy, but "we need to make sure we are protected against the risks first in order to realize those benefits." While an increasing number of technology companies are supporting transparency requirements about their AI development, Anthropic and Amodei have argued for a step further. In a framework proposal last month, Amodei wrote governments should have the power to block dangerous deployments of artificial intelligence if they don't meet a certain safety standard. He called for not only a government testing process, but also mandatory testing by a third-party auditor to check for risks related to cybersecurity, biological weapons, loss of control of AI systems, and automated research and development. Anthropic's competitors argue such a proposal could stall U.S. model releases, and risk curbing competition with China. Anthropic acknowledged the growing concerns around national security, stating the U.S. and its Democratic allies "have the advantage today, but that lead is tenuous." The company pushed for tightened export controls on advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and policy efforts to curb distillation of U.S. models.

AI Companies Ramp Up Lobbying Efforts Amid Pressure in DC | PYMNTS.com

That's according to a report Monday (July 27) from the Financial Times (FT), which says this uptick is the result of artificial intelligence (AI) companies trying to halt tougher regulation and guide rules involving data centers and the testing of advanced models. The report, citing federal disclosures, said that OpenAI nearly doubled its lobbying spending to a record $2.22 million during the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2022. Rival Anthropic nearly tripled its lobbying expenses to $3.53 million. Google and Microsoft spent as much in any quarter since 2020, the FT added. Lobbyists and policy experts told the FT the trend is being driven by the AI industry's wish to establish a stronger base of influence in Washington. "The lobbying offensive has been as much about deterring regulation as making the case for an affirmative government industrial policy that supports the industry," said Amba Kak, co-executive director of AI Now Institute, who also served as senior advisor on AI to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during Joe Biden's presidency. The main issues on the lobbying agenda include federal rules covering the release of new models, following the government's move last month to halt the launch of Anthropic's Fable model due to cybersecurity concerns. In addition, companies want to shape policy around data centers and rules on whether developers make the parameters for their models available to the public, the report added. "It's an export-controlled technology like semiconductors, an infrastructure build-out like telecoms or power, a procurement relationship like defence, and a liability question like the [social media] platforms, all at the same time," said Joseph Hoefer, chief AI officer at Monument Advocacy. "No single playbook covers that." Meanwhile, PYMNTS wrote last week that the next stage of AI regulation is happening "through committees, consultations and comment periods rather than a single sweeping federal rule." Among the latest developments on this front are the National Institute of Standards and Technology's search for candidates for the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee and its Subcommittee on Artificial Intelligence and Law Enforcement, while the FTC and Financial Stability Board seek feedback on their AI-related work. "Together, the developments show AI oversight becoming more procedural," that report said. "Government agencies and international bodies are moving from broad principles toward decisions about documentation, board accountability, vendor controls and the claims companies make about AI products."

Anthropic Gives $40 Million to AI Regulation Group | PYMNTS.com

The donation, announced Tuesday (July 21), brings the artificial intelligence (AI) startup's total spending on the group to $40 million, and comes amid increasing debate on how to regulate the technology, and ahead of the fall mid-term elections. "We've long argued that frontier AI companies should be transparent about what their models can do and how they're managing the risks," Anthropic said in its announcement. "We've supported newly passed laws in several states that require greater transparency for AI developers. But given how fast the capabilities of the most powerful models are advancing, transparency alone is insufficient." Public First Action bills itself as a bipartisan group focused on educating the public on AI. While acknowledging the benefits of the technology, it also campaigns for safety standards, transparency, accountability measures and whistleblower protections for people alerting the public and policymakers about AI-related dangers. "Both of our donations were made exclusively to support Public First Action's public education and policy mission, and cannot be used to influence the election of any candidate for federal, state, or local office," Anthropic said. A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report Wednesday (July 22) on the donation points out that Public First has positioned itself as a counterweight to the group Leading the Future. That organization, the WSJ said, has a position on AI similar to that of the White House, advocating for industry-friendly rules with lower barriers for development. The report added that this new commitment could reignite the feud between Anthropic and the White House. The government has already briefly shut down two of the company's models due to security concerns, with the military labeling Anthropic a security risk, prompting the startup to take legal action. The WSJ also notes that Anthropic's critics have argued the company wants to use regulation to hinder competition, and contend CEO Dario Amodei is hypocritical for warning about the dangers while continuing to improve on the company's models. Amodei and the Anthropic say their concern on model safety is authentic, the report added. In other AI regulation news, PYMNTS wrote earlier this week about efforts by state attorneys general to police the technology using existing consumer protection, privacy and professional licensing laws to police artificial intelligence. "The practical message for businesses is that AI compliance cannot wait for Congress or state legislatures to establish comprehensive new frameworks," that report said. "Companies should evaluate whether AI deployments comply with existing rules governing privacy, discrimination, advertising, consumer protection, professional services and consequential decision-making."