Exclusive: AI safety money floods into political races
Advocates for AI safety and regulation are emerging as a force in U.S. elections, spending nearly $50 million this election cycle on candidates who favor regulation, a new analysis shared exclusively with Axios shows. Why it matters: The safety spending points to the unusual power dynamics in the AI race, where researchers shape policy and regulation in ways that differ at times from the…
A new analysis has revealed that AI safety and regulation advocates have spent nearly $50 million this election cycle on candidates who support regulation, highlighting the influence of researchers on policy. This spending pattern contrasts with the priorities of the companies where these researchers work. The funding comes from various AI safety groups and individual donors, including OpenAI's Juan Felipe Cerón Uribe, Redwood's Aryan Bhatt, and Guardrails Alliance, which has raised $11.7 million.
The situation becomes complex due to concerns over AI risk warnings from the industry itself and local opposition to data centers. Despite some forces favoring AI acceleration not spending as much as expected, safety advocates see an opportunity to fill the void. Donors emphasize their concerns about industry spending potentially silencing candidates on the topic, rather than being driven by party affiliation or specific policy positions.
The impact of this financial influence on the political landscape is still unfolding, with Guardrails Alliance facing criticism for potentially assisting Republicans less inclined to regulate AI.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
