The increase in lobbying efforts comes as the U.S. Commerce Department released a report advocating for the release of new generative AI models but recommended government monitoring for risks. The absence of federal AI legislation has led to nearly 400 state-level AI laws being proposed this year. OpenAI has become more vocal about its preferred AI laws and rules, supporting Senate bills that would establish a federal rulemaking body for AI and provide federal scholarships for AI R&D. Meanwhile, AI vendors like OpenAI face potential antitrust cases from U.S. regulators, including the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
Key takeaways:
- AI lobbying at the U.S. federal level is increasing, with the number of groups lobbying on AI-related issues growing from 459 in 2023 to 556 in the first half of 2024, according to OpenSecrets data.
- OpenAI has significantly increased its lobbying expenditures, spending $800,000 in the first six months of 2024 compared to $260,000 in all of 2023, and has grown its team of outside lobbyists from three to around 15.
- Other AI companies, including Anthropic and Cohere, are also investing heavily in lobbying, with Anthropic on track to spend half a million dollars on lobbying over the next few months and Cohere increasing its spend to $120,000 in the first half of 2024.
- As the November election approaches, AI vendors including OpenAI are facing potential antitrust cases from U.S. regulators such as the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.