Anthropic splashes out $40M in fight over AI regulations in Congress — as lawmakers allege tech giant is freezing out rivals

Anthropic has helped seed a growing AI panic in Congress through an aggressive influence campaign, as the company and its rivals pour tens of millions into a spending war that’s just getting started — and some lawmakers say it’s a disguised power grab using safety concerns to freeze out the competition.

The company, which is pushing Congress to impose new regulatory “guardrails” on the AI industry, has poured $40 million through two donations to the super PAC Public First Action, with a $20 million check arriving in late July.

In one key race, Public First Action handed $3 million to a PAC backing state Assemblyman Alex Bores (D-Manhattan) — part of a $10 million effort by Anthropic-affiliated groups. Bores lost to fellow Dem Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who benefited from rival AI firms, including OpenAI-linked Leading the Future, tearing into his opponent.

The board of Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot, is now stocked with political players, including Netflix founder Reed Hastings, who along with his wife Patty Quillen gave more than $20 million to Democrats in recent years.

Public First Action has kept most of its powder dry, disclosure reports show — though it pumped roughly $100,000 into an ad touting Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), who wrote in a 2026 candidate survey that “government oversight is essential to address the real harms AI can cause.”

But some in Congress suspect the AI companies’ real target isn’t safety — it’s the control and manipulation of a marketplace they dominate.

“You get a benefit from regulation because it hinders your competitors,” said James Andrew Lewis, a former US diplomat and researcher with the Center for European Policy Analysis who has helped negotiate cybersecurity deals. He said of Anthropic cofounder...

For computers, the market is basically divided between Microsoft and Apple. Yes, there are some other players, and Linux is certainly a factor, but to a large extent, you get to choose between the two Big Boys.

I think the AI boys want to play the same game. OpenAI and Anthropic. They need to squeeze out any and all other competition. Expensive government regulation would be very helpful to these larger firms. They can pay the price, but smaller companies and start-ups will be shut out if the the cost of security, regulation, certification, and licensing can keep going up. The bar will be too high for them.

I think the Fear is a ploy for creating what will end up being a government regulated monopoly.

The more AI is used by the police to arrest people, the more they will wind up getting sued for gazillions.

That chick from Tennessee that got locked up in Fargo for 6 months because AI facial rec pegged her is only suing Fargo for 10 million. She should also sue the facial rec company.

The more AI is used by the police to arrest people, the more they will wind up getting sued for gazillions. That chick from Tennessee that got locked up in Fargo for 6 months because AI facial rec pegged her is only suing Fargo for 10 million. She should also sue the facial rec company.

Not really. The facial recognition does not say "THIS IS THE PERSON." In effect it says this "MAY BE THE PERSON." At this point it is up to law enforcement to determine with certainty that IT IS THE PERSON. They screwed up big time. They should pay big time. If I were her I would say one million dollars for each month in jail if you agree in one week. After one week it goes to the lawyers that will be instructed to extract every damn penny they can from your incompetent police force.

PS
I am not against this technology but it must be used with caution. The same can be said for Flock cameras. They can be abused. Those that abuse them must face severe fines or even jail. That will stop the abuse and preserve this useful tool of law enforcement.

Yesterday here in Bell County Texas Flock identified a killers car and the area was locked down. Crime to capture was about 8 hours. Flock did this. The traffic was a total mess for many hours as was I35, but they caught the bad guy. Every time I go through customs at Heathrow airport alone nothing happens. Every time I am with my wife we are pulled aside for special inspection and questioning. She is Mexican and could be mistaken for Arab. I suspect a really bad person looks like her. Heathrow uses facial identification. After a few questions we are waved through.

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