WASHINGTON, Feb 12 - Anthropic said it will allocate $20 million to support U.S. political candidates who favor regulating the artificial intelligence industry, according to a company statement released on Thursday.
The contribution is being made to Public First Action, a political group that opposes federal efforts to prevent states from enacting their own AI regulations. One of the candidates receiving backing from the group is Republican Marsha Blackburn, who is campaigning for governor of Tennessee and who opposed a congressional effort to bar states from passing AI laws.
In its statement, Anthropic said: "The companies building AI have a responsibility to help ensure the technology serves the public good, not just their own interests."
The company’s donation comes as the AI sector prepares to play a significant financial role in the U.S. midterm elections this year, with industry leaders aiming to shape how the technology will be regulated. Several states have already enacted laws or are considering legislation to govern AI activities.
Public First Action was launched late last year by two former members of Congress. The organization was formed in part to counter a group called Leading the Future, which generally opposes strict AI regulations. Leading the Future counts among its backers figures from the AI industry, including OpenAI president Greg Brockman and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.
The statement about Leading the Future notes that Andreessen’s firm, A16Z, is an investor in OpenAI. According to a spokesperson for Leading the Future, the organization has raised $125 million since its founding in August 2025.
The donation from Anthropic and the organized political activity around AI regulation underscore a growing intersection between technology companies and electoral politics, centered on whether AI should be governed primarily at the state level, by federal authorities, or through other mechanisms.
Summary
Anthropic will give $20 million to Public First Action, which supports candidates who favor state-level AI regulation and opposes federal preemption of state AI laws. The contribution comes as the AI industry mobilizes funding ahead of the midterm elections, with competing groups advocating different regulatory approaches.