WASHINGTON — AI company Anthropic announced Wednesday it will donate $20 million to a lobbying group that backs artificial intelligence regulation, marking another step by the tech giant to shape U.S. policy on the rapidly evolving technology.
The funds are headed to Public First Action, a political organization whose website describes its mission as working to reduce major risks posed by AI. The new contribution comes on top of a separate $20 million donation Anthropic made to the same group back in February.
The move reflects a growing push by the AI industry to gain a foothold in shaping federal policy, as government officials weigh whether and how to increase oversight of the sector. A number of states have already enacted laws addressing AI, while others are weighing similar steps.
Beyond its lobbying efforts aimed at federal officials, Public First Action also provides financial support to two political action committees that funnel money to candidates aligned with the group’s goals. According to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Reuters, those committees have contributed 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, along with other federal office seekers.
Despite those connections, an Anthropic spokesperson said in a statement that the donation “cannot be used to influence the election of any candidate for federal, state or local office.”
Public First Action holds tax-exempt status as a political organization. Under federal law, such groups are permitted to run issue-focused advertisements — meaning ads that center on a policy topic rather than urging people to support a particular candidate.
Two former members of Congress founded Public First Action late last year as a counterweight to another political group called Leading the Future, which generally pushes back against strict AI regulations. Leading the Future counts among its backers AI industry figures including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Andreessen’s firm, A16Z, holds investments in OpenAI, which is a direct competitor to Anthropic.
