Anthropic splashes out $40M in fight over AI regulations in Congress as lawmakers allege tech giant is freezing out rivals

It’s not the end of the world and they know it.Anthropic has helped seed a growing AI panic in Congress through an aggressive influence campaign, as the company and its rivals pour tens of millions into a spending war that’s just getting started — and some lawmakers say it’s a disguised power grab using safety concerns to freeze out the competition.The company, which is pushing Congress to impose new regulatory “guardrails” on the AI industry, has poured $40 million through two donations to the super PAC Public First Action, with a $20 million check arriving in late July.In one key race, Public First Action handed $3 million to a PAC backing state Assemblyman Alex Bores (D-Manhattan) — part of a $10 million effort by Anthropic-affiliated groups.Bores lost to fellow Dem Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who benefited from rival AI firms, including OpenAI-linked Leading the Future, tearing into his opponent.The board of Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot, is now stocked with political players, including Netflix founder Reed Hastings, who along with his wife Patty Quillen gave more than $20 million to Democrats in recent years.Public First Action has kept most of its powder dry, disclosure reports show — though it pumped roughly $100,000 into an ad touting Rep.

Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), who wrote in a 2026 candidate survey that “government oversight is essential to address the real harms AI can cause.”But some in Congress suspect the AI companies’ real target isn’t safety — it’s the control and manipulation of a marketplace they dominate.“You get a benefit from regulation because it hinders your competitors,” said James Andrew Lewis, a former US diplomat and researcher with the Center for European Policy Analysis who has helped negotiate cybersecurity deals.He said of Anthropic cofounder Dario Amodei: “He might actually believe some of this stuff, but I’d say self-interest really explains it more.”“It looks like there’s a split...