Nvidia, Anthropic and OpenAI each set a lobbying spending record this summer, with issues like kids' safety and data center power costs on the table.
Three of the biggest names in artificial intelligence each spent more than ever on lobbying 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 a record for that company. Together they come to nearly $6 million.
The amounts are not huge by Big Tech standards. Microsoft has spent at least $2 million a quarter since 2021, and Google regularly spends over $3 million, including this quarter. Apple also set a record at $3.1 million. What stands out is how fast the AI firms are catching up.
Anthropic listed specific topics. They include AI parts of the Kids Online Safety Act, chip export rules in the AI Overwatch Act, and the Ratepayer Protection Act. That bill aims to make the companies building data centers cover their energy costs. Anthropic also lobbied on Trump's executive order renaming AI "Super Intelligence."
OpenAI's disclosures list only broad topics. They include copyright, cybersecurity tests for advanced AI models, AI safety oversight and antitrust protections for sharing information. The Verge says this looks like a response to fallout from the Hugging Face attack. Nvidia lobbied on 6G networks, "responsible AI design," competition, quantum computing and export controls.
Rules written now could shape the AI tools your kids use, who pays for the power that data centers consume, and the software your business depends on. Apple, for example, lobbied on bills that would make app stores check users' ages.
The timing matters too. Tech CEOs attended a White House lunch with President Trump in late September that produced a "morally binding" AI safety accord. The lobbying came just before Trump named an AI czar and task force.
Democrats are expected to win back at least some control in Congress after this year's midterm elections. Some lawmakers see cracking down on the industry as a winning issue. With data centers and AI safety on many voters' minds, the report expects AI lobbying to keep growing whichever party is in charge next year.
The disclosures show topics, not outcomes. They do not say what the companies asked for or whether any of it worked.
AI companies are spending record sums to shape rules on kids' safety, power costs and chips, and that spending will likely keep growing.
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