AI money pours into US midterm elections, triggering political struggles over regulations.

Funding for artificial intelligence pours into the 2026 US midterm elections. Interest groups associated with leaders in the artificial intelligence industry have serious disagreements on how the government should regulate artificial intelligence. Some experts say that these disagreements have started to affect political advertising. "What form artificial intelligence regulation will ultimately take is still unknown," said David Primo, a professor at the University of Rochester. "This is crucial because once a regulatory system is established, it is difficult to change." In February of this year, Anthropic, the developer of Claude AI, announced a donation of $20 million to an organization called "Public Priorities Action." The company stated that it agrees with the views of the majority of Americans that current regulation of artificial intelligence is inadequate and that this technology poses "significant risks." As one of the main competitors of Anthropic, the parent company of ChatGPT, OpenAI, has expressed support for national "common-sense regulatory rules," but also warned that the US should not fall behind other countries. Federal Election Commission disclosure documents show that OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife each donated $12.5 million to the organization "Leadership for the Future." The organization states that its purpose is to support candidates who "advocate for the use of artificial intelligence economic benefits and reject policies that hinder US innovation."