Nvidia, Anthropic and OpenAI each set a lobbying spending record this summer, as Washington decides rules on AI, kids' safety and data center power costs.
Three of the biggest names in AI each spent more money than ever trying to influence Washington this summer. Federal disclosures show Nvidia spent $2.2 million between July and September. Anthropic spent $2.1 million and OpenAI spent $1.5 million. Each figure is the company's highest for a single quarter. Together, that is nearly $6 million.
Anthropic listed the most detail. It lobbied on AI parts of the Kids Online Safety Act, export limits in the AI Overwatch Act, and the Ratepayer Protection Act. That bill aims to put the energy costs of data centers on the companies building them. It also lobbied on Trump's executive order renaming AI "Super Intelligence."
OpenAI's filings give only broad topics. They include copyright, cybersecurity testing for the most advanced AI models, AI safety oversight, and antitrust protections for sharing information. Nvidia listed 6G networks, "responsible AI design," competition policy, quantum computing and export controls.
The sums are not unusual next to older tech giants. Microsoft has spent at least $2 million every quarter since 2021. Google regularly spends over $3 million. What stands out is how quickly the newer players are catching up.
Tech CEOs attended a White House lunch with President Donald Trump in late September. It produced a "morally binding" AI safety accord that they agreed to. The filings suggest many more talks happened out of public view. Democrats are expected to win back at least some control in Congress after the midterm elections. The article says that may make it more important for AI companies to engage with lawmakers who see cracking down on the industry as a winning issue.
Apple also set a record at $3.1 million, its first quarter above $3 million. It engaged on bills that would make app stores verify users' ages. For everyday users, these fights touch kids' safety settings, the AI tools on your devices, and who pays for the power that data centers use. The disclosures show who is lobbying and on what. They do not show what any company asked for or whether it worked.
The article expects AI lobbying to keep growing no matter which party controls Congress next year. Data center development and AI safety are on many voters' minds. Lobbying disclosures arrive every quarter, so the next set will show whether this was a peak or the new normal.
AI companies are spending record sums to shape rules on kids' safety, data center power costs and AI oversight, and the spending is likely to keep rising.
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