Anthropic donates $20M more to Public First Action, escalating the AI regulation proxy war. The midterms will decide the regulatory path for companies like Apple.
Anthropic is pouring $20 million more into a nonprofit that funds super PACs backing candidates in both parties, bringing its total to $40 million. The donation, disclosed Wednesday, goes to Public First Action, a group that has already spent on ads highlighting Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn's AI work. The nonprofit is not required to name its donors, unlike the super PACs it supports.
The move escalates a proxy war with Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. That group has raised more than $75 million. Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei has pushed for mandatory testing of advanced AI models, akin to FAA oversight. The Trump administration and some industry leaders oppose that approach.
For investors in publicly traded AI companies, the outcome of this regulatory battle matters. Stricter rules could delay product releases and raise compliance costs for firms like Apple, which is expanding its AI capabilities. Looser oversight would allow faster deployment. The midterms will determine which party controls Congress, and that will shape the regulatory path.
Anthropic said its donation "cannot be used to influence the election of any candidate," but the nonprofit can route money to ads that highlight specific candidates. Public First Action's first ad focused on Blackburn's work on child online safety legislation. The group was co-founded by former Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and Brad Carson (D-Okla.), each with their own aligned super PACs.
Amodei separately donated $1 million in May to Public First, a super PAC allied with the nonprofit. The combined spending reflects the AI industry's recognition that regulation is coming. The question is how strict it will be, and who writes the rules.
For a broader look at how political shifts affect markets, see our stock market analysis.
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