AI Industry Spends Millions on Political Groups Ahead of US Mid-Term Elections

Artificial intelligence companies and some of Silicon Valley’s biggest investors are pouring millions of dollars into political groups ahead of the next US mid-term elections , hoping to shape how lawmakers approach AI regulation. Companies, executives and venture capital firms linked to the AI industry have backed a growing network of super PACs and outside political groups that support candidates with favourable views on artificial intelligence. The effort comes as debates over AI safety, regulation and competition with China gain momentum across the United States . These groups have already spent more than $65 million, while tens of millions of dollars remain available for future campaigns, reported Business Insider. The final amount may not become clear for months because some organisations operate as “dark money” groups, which do not regularly disclose their donors or spending. The political push comes at a crucial time for the AI industry. The Trump administration has largely supported AI innovation, but differences have emerged after the White House slowed the release of some frontier AI models developed by Anthropic and OpenAI, reported Business Insider. AI companies are also closely watching whether the US imposes restrictions on advanced open-weight AI models from China, including Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3. Meanwhile, several US states have begun debating stricter rules for AI development and even limits on new data centres. One of the largest organisations is Leading the Future, a network of pro-AI super PACs that says it has raised $100 million to support candidates who favour AI innovation, reported Business Insider. The group listed supporters including venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife Anna Brockman, SV Angel founder Ron Conway, 8VC founder Joe Lonsdale, and AI search company Perplexity, according to Business Insider report. The organisation has not disclosed how much each supporter contributed because current campaign finance rules do not yet require those details. Leading the Future says it wants to become the AI industry’s “political and policy center of gravity.” It plans to support candidates who back policies favourable to AI development while opposing those who do not. One affiliated political action committee, Think Big, has already spent more than $118,000 against New York Assemblyman Alex Bores during the Democratic primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District, reported Business Insider. Another affiliated PAC, American Mission, has spent more than $243,000 supporting Republican candidate Chris Gober in Texas’s 10th Congressional District. However, not everyone in the AI sector agrees with this approach. Former Republican congressman Chris Stewart of Utah and former Democratic congressman Brad Carson of Oklahoma have launched a competing political network called Public First. Instead of opposing AI regulation, the organisation plans to back candidates who support stronger rules for artificial intelligence. Public First aims to raise $50 million, about half the amount Leading the Future says it has secured. “We have $50 million and 85% of public sentiment. They have 15% of public sentiment, and $100 million,” Carson told Business Insider. Carson also said Public First expects financial backing from employees working across the AI industry as well as supporters outside the technology sector. The organisation has created separate super PACs for Democratic and Republican candidates but has not yet spent money on election campaigns. Several states in the United States have proposed their own AI laws, creating different regulatory systems across the country. Technology companies worry that a patchwork of state rules could make it harder to develop and deploy AI products nationwide. Meta has also entered the political arena by launching two new political action committees focused mainly on state elections. One group, Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California, will support candidates in California who favour policies that encourage AI development. The company’s headquarters are in California, where lawmakers have debated several AI bills in recent years. “As home to many of the world’s leading AI companies, California’s innovation economy has an outsized impact on America’s economic growth, job creation, and global competitiveness,” a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider. The spokesperson added that excessive regulation could slow innovation and weaken the state’s leadership in technology. Meta has also created another political action committee, the American Technology Excellence Project, to support candidates in other states. Meta Vice President of Public Policy Brian Rice said the company wants lawmakers to protect American innovation as different states consider new AI rules. “Amid a growing patchwork of inconsistent regulations that threaten homegrown innovation and investments in AI, state lawmakers are uniquely positioned to ensure that America remains a global technology leader,” Rice said, according to Business Insider report. Neither of Meta’s PACs has spent significant amounts so far. However, analysts expect political activity to increase as the US midterm elections move closer.