SerpApi.Org
WASHINGTON—The artificial-intelligence startup Anthropic is doubling its spending on the midterm elections to $40 million, ramping up the conflict between warring factions of Silicon Valley over how to regulate the transformative technology.
Anthropic said Wednesday it has committed another $20 million to Public First Action, a political group pushing for government-imposed safeguards on powerful AI models and transparency by developers about the risks they pose. Anthropic contributed the same amount to Public First early this year, before the release of its model Mythos and a debate over AI’s use in the military spurred calls for increased regulation.
Public First says it is a counterweight to the other major AI spender, Leading the Future, which is funded by tech titans including a top executive at OpenAI and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. Leading the Future is more aligned with the White House’s views on AI, pushing for industry friendly rules that would allow AI to develop with fewer barriers.
Anthropic and its chief executive, Dario Amodei, have been critical of that approach, warning that increased government intervention is needed to prevent AI-enabled catastrophe. Amodei in May made a $1 million contribution to one of the super PACs funded by Public First. Other Anthropic employees have also poured money into pro-regulation causes.
“We need policymakers and candidates to put forward measures that mitigate risks,” the company said Wednesday.
The latest commitments could rekindle Anthropic’s feud with the White House, a saga in which two of the company’s models were shut down over security concerns and the Pentagon labeled the company a national-security risk. Anthropic is suing over the designation.
Critics of Anthropic have said the company wants to use regulations to hurt competitors. They argue that Amodei is hypocritical for warning about AI’s dangers while continuing to develop better models. Amodei and the company say their focus on model safety is genuine.
The clashing political groups, through networks of super PACs, have spent millions of dollars on advertising in dozens of primaries. Some ads have overtly discussed AI; others discussed separate hot-button issues, including immigration. Both groups have supported candidates from both parties.
They each plowed millions into a New York congressional primary featuring state lawmaker Alex Bores, one of the authors of the state’s AI safety bill that passed last year. Public First supported Bores, while Leading the Future opposed him. He finished second in the Democratic primary, losing to another pro-regulation candidate.
The result has fueled anticipation of more potential showdowns over AI policy in competitive races across the map in November. The White House’s recent embrace of limited AI regulations to address security risks has also scrambled some battle lines. OpenAI has recently endorsed several AI safety bills, including one in Massachusetts on Tuesday, though the legislation doesn’t impose as many requirements as a similar measure Anthropic is backing in the state.
The ChatGPT maker has said president and co-founder Greg Brockman’s contributions to Leading the Future are Brockman’s own as an individual. The group, which is reusing parts of a political playbook deployed by a pro-crypto super PAC network two years ago, has reported raising about $75 million but has announced millions more in pledges. Brockman and his wife, Anna Brockman, are among the group’s largest donors.
Public First said at the end of June it had raised $80 million. The group, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, isn’t required to disclose its donors. Anthropic said its contribution can’t be used to “influence the election of any candidate for federal, state, or local office” and that its funds are earmarked for public education and policy initiatives. But the funds could still pay for advertising about policy favored or opposed by individual politicians.
Write to Laura J. Nelson at [email protected] and Amrith Ramkumar at [email protected]