Anthropic gives $20 million to group pushing for AI regulations
The Anthropic AI logo is displayed on a mobile phone with a visual digital background.
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Anthropic, the artificial intelligence laboratory that has drawn criticism from the White House for its support for regulations and security, is investing $20 million in the political arena ahead of the 2026 elections.
The company said Thursday it donated to Public First Action, a group that challenges the artificial intelligence industry by supporting candidates across the political aisle. The group has launched six-figure ad buys to support pro-AI regulatory candidates Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Pete Rickets of Nebraska, both Republicans.
Blackburn, a U.S. senator who is currently running for governor of his state, has spearheaded online safety bills for children, while Ricketts, who is running for re-election, introduced legislation this year restricting the sale of advanced U.S. chips to China.
Public First Action is chaired by former MPs Brad Carson and Chris Stewart. The group aims to support about 30 to 50 candidates this cycle and plans to raise between $50 million and $75 million, Carson told CNBC in an interview.
That’s far less than the $125 million raised so far by pro-AI PAC Leading the Future, whose donors include tech investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale, angel investor Ron Conway and AI software startup Perplexity.
Carson said public opinion was on his side. A. gallup The survey, published in September, found that 80% of respondents wanted rules for AI safety and data security, even if it meant slowing the development of the technology.
“Leading the future is being driven by three billionaires who are close to Donald Trump and “have a particular view of how AI regulations should move forward and they want to kind of buy into that,” Carson said. “We believe it should be more democratically responsible.”
In a blog post, Anthropic said the policy was needed to “keep risks in check,” while also “maintaining meaningful safeguards, encouraging job growth, protecting children, and demanding true transparency from the companies building the most powerful AI models.”
President Trump’s AI and crypto czar, David Sacks, criticized Anthropic in October, along with Jack Clark, one of the startup’s co-founders and current head of policy. an article This phenomenon, called “Technological Optimism and Appropriate Fear,” sparked a debate about online AI regulation.
sacks sent At He said the company was “primarily responsible for the government regulatory frenzy that has damaged the startup ecosystem.”
Two months later, President Trump signed an executive order enacting a single regulatory framework for AI and undermining the power of individual states, namely Democrat-led states like California and New York.
WRISTWATCH: CNBC’s full interview with David Sacks
