Anthropic has formed a new political action committee, signaling the AI lab is joining its peers in committing significant resources to influence policy. The AnthroPAC will make contributions to both parties in the midterms, supporting current lawmakers and new candidates. It will be funded by voluntary employee donations capped at $5,000.
This move reflects a broader trend where AI companies are aggressively pushing their policy preferences. Reports indicate AI firms have already contributed $185 million to midterm races. A separate Super PAC, Public First, received at least $20 million from Anthropic to finance ads for a specific regulatory agenda.
Anthropic’s political ramp-up occurs as the company is entangled in a legal dispute with the Defense Department over the government’s use of its AI models and the guidelines for that usage.