Anthropic doubles midterm spending to $40 million in AI regulation push

Anthropic committed an additional $20 million to Public First Action, the pro-regulation political group pushing for government-imposed safeguards on powerful AI models, bringing its total midterm spending to $40 million.

The contribution, announced Wednesday, funds the 501(c)(4) nonprofit's public-education and policy initiatives and cannot be used to influence any federal, state or local election candidates, the company said. Public First Action is the policy arm of a network tied to three super PACs that back candidates across the political spectrum who support AI guardrails.

"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," Anthropic said in a statement. "Our donation to Public First Action is one way in which we're trying to raise the salience of this urgent policy debate."

The latest commitment brings Anthropic's total contributions to Public First Action to $40 million, after an initial $20 million donation in February. Chief Executive Dario Amodei separately gave $1 million to one of the group's super PACs in May, while other Anthropic employees contributed a combined $2.15 million over the last quarter, according to recent campaign finance filings.

The $80 million war for AI policy

Public First Action reported raising $80 million through the end of June, positioning it as a counterweight to Leading the Future, an industry-friendly super PAC backed by OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. Leading the Future has raised about $75 million and is pushing for lighter regulation that would allow AI to develop with fewer barriers — a stance more aligned with the White House's current approach.

The two groups have spent millions on advertising in dozens of primary races. In a New York congressional primary, Public First supported state lawmaker Alex Bores, one of the authors of New York's AI safety bill that passed last year, while Leading the Future opposed him. Bores finished second in the Democratic primary, losing to another pro-regulation candidate.

Anthropic's push for tighter oversight has put it at odds with the White House. Two of the company's models were shut down over security concerns, and the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a national-security risk — a designation the company is now challenging in court. Amodei last month proposed a framework giving governments the power to block dangerous AI deployments, along with mandatory third-party auditing for risks related to cybersecurity, biological weapons and loss of control of AI systems.

The company has also called for tightened export controls on advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, arguing the U.S. lead over China is "tenuous." Competitors counter that such proposals could stall domestic model releases and risk ceding ground to Beijing.

With the midterms approaching, the clash between pro-regulation and industry-friendly factions is set to intensify across competitive races nationwide. The outcome could determine whether the U.S. adopts stricter AI safety laws similar to Europe's approach or maintains the lighter-touch framework favored by much of Silicon Valley.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.