Over 500 organizations have lobbyed the White House and Congress on AI

As the industry continues to grow and the new administration encourages accepting US technology, it is about to influence Washington’s artificial intelligence policies.

More than 500 organizations have been actively pushing for the US Congress and the White House on artificial intelligence policies since the beginning of the year, according to an analysis of federal disclosures by the Financial Times.

That number coincides with the first half of 2024, but two increases from similar profits in 2023, with around 566 organizations lobbying on AI-related issues.

As AI stakes grow, lobbying is taking place

Lobbying has been on the rise over the past two years, highlighting the AI industry, backed by large tech companies and deep investors, aims to shape policies at a critical period of intense debate surrounding technology.

Tony Samp, head of AI policy at law firm DLA Piper and lobbyist for Openai, Boston Dynamics and others, believes the US government is uniquely positioned as a “publisher of a new technology approach” as a huge potential customer.

“Unlike the past few years when governments were often seen as obstacles, the business world sees the US government as an important partner,” Stamp said.

Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGpt Maker Openai, on Tuesday, the CEO of the Federal Reserve, urging the government to embrace technology, pledging that everything can be made better.

Openai’s lobbying began early in 2023 when it spent $380,000 as Washington began seriously considering how to regulate the industry. Since then, it has steadily increased lobbying and increased the funds allocated to it.

In the first half of this year alone, the company has already spent $1.8 million to influence the White House and Congress. To make the demands more appealing, executives backed them up with the argument that they could add trillions of dollars to US GDP over the next decade.

Many have also warned of the possibility that AI could fall behind China, where it is concerned, and what could arise due to the inclusion of troublesome safety and testing regulations in Europe.

Big Tech is working hard for the right to innovate in the AI sector

Openai is not quarantined in its lobbying activities. Other leading tech companies spend billions of dollars a year on developing AI infrastructure, and we believe this technology will have a transformative impact on the global economy.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta all launched many initiatives to enhance AI capabilities. Among them was a campaign in which states banned technology restrictions for a decade, with the US Senate voting 99-1 to reject. This is a major defeat for companies advocating for bans.

There are also lobbying for government support to build vast data centers and new energy sources.

Meanwhile, some companies like Google and Meta are seeking the firing of some federal antitrust laws that could lead to forced dissolution of the empire. AI startups such as Openai and humanity are fighting lawsuits claiming they steal publishers’ intellectual property to train models without consent or payment.

The AI Group claims that the use of these works is permitted under copyright law as “fair use”, but the issue is still being debated.