AI companies supporting two major political action committees (PACs) have raised over $200 million to spend on elections:
- The vast majority of candidates backed by the PACs have won their primaries:
- The PACs are pushing for some degree of AI regulation, but there are differences in what they are seeking:
AI companies participating in elections hope that their spending will help influence AI legislation being developed in Congress. As of the end of June, the two largest AI PACs have spent $44 million on 40 House and Senate candidates:
This spending demonstrates the growing influence of the AI industry in Washington. The PACs aim to shape the first national legislation regulating AI use:
Brad Carson, head of Public First Action, noted that discussions around AI legislation are increasing, especially concerning powerful models like Mythos and Claude Fable:
“They have many benefits, but also many dangers. You can't just release them into the wild without government concern,” Carson said:
AI companies supporting the Leading the Future PAC have spent over $24 million on primary races:
Public First Action PAC, launched last year, has spent $20 million so far:
Two AI groups spend big in politics
The two groups have competed against each other in elections, but their political positions are more nuanced than simply “pro” or “anti” regulation:
Both groups support some degree of guardrails, but the main differences touch on whether a single federal standard should preempt state laws:
