The artificial intelligence industry has already spent more than $65 million ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, using networks of super PACs to wage a proxy war over the future of AI regulation in Congress and state legislatures. With tens of millions still held in reserve, the spending shows no sign of slowing. For readers tracking how money and policy intersect across the AI industry, AI Buzz Wire provides ongoing coverage of the developments shaping the sector.
According to reporting from Business Insider, some of the biggest names in AI and technology are bankrolling outside groups aimed at shaping the next Congress. The figures, drawn from Federal Election Commission filings, reveal a political landscape in which the AI industry's internal disagreements over safety and openness are now playing out through campaign spending. For more context on this story, see our ongoing AI industry coverage.
Leading the Future: The Pro-Innovation Juggernaut
The largest player is Leading the Future, a pro-AI network of super PACs associated with Silicon Valley's tech elite. Its main super PAC raised just under $76 million through the end of June, according to FEC filings.
The donors read like a who's-who of the AI investment world. Andreessen Horowitz contributed $50 million. OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife Anna gave $25 million. Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz each contributed $12.5 million, and Perplexity added $100,000. Brockman has said he is acting in his personal capacity, and OpenAI has distanced itself from the donations.
The network operates across party lines. It redirected $20 million to Think Big, a super PAC focused on Democratic races, and another $20 million to American Mission, its Republican-focused counterpart. Ron Conway added $500,000 to Think Big, while Joe Lonsdale gave $250,000 to American Mission. Together, Think Big and American Mission have spent over $29 million, and the network is sitting on more than $31 million in reserve.
Public First: Anthropic Bets on Regulation
In response to Leading the Future, two former congressmen, Republican Chris Stewart of Utah and Democrat Brad Carson of Oklahoma, formed a competing network called Public First to back candidates who support stronger AI regulation.
Public First Action, the umbrella organization, is not required to disclose its donors and said in June that it had raised $80 million. Anthropic has donated $40 million to the group, doubling an initial $20 million contribution from February. Anthropic said the increase reflected rapid advancements in AI, including the development of its Claude Mythos model, which remains accessible only to a limited number of organizations due to concerns about its hacking capabilities.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei personally donated $1 million to the network, and other Anthropic staffers contributed an additional $2.1 million. Jan Leike, who leads Anthropic's Alignment Science team, donated $500,000. The group's spending has topped $19 million combined across its affiliated super PACs.
Carson framed the contest starkly, telling Business Insider: "We have $50 million and 85% of public sentiment. They have 15% of public sentiment, and $100 million. I will take our side of that bet any day."
Meta's State-Level Strategy
Meta is taking a different approach, focusing primarily on the state level rather than federal races. The company established two groups: Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California, focused on its home state, and the American Technology Excellence Project, aimed at races in other states.
Meta gave $20 million to its California-focused PAC in August 2025, according to filings with the California Secretary of State. That group has spent over $4.3 million, with the largest share, $1.3 million, backing a Democrat running for a state Senate seat covering part of Silicon Valley. A Meta spokesperson said the company would support candidates in both parties who recognize California's role in AI development.
Why the Spending Is Surging Now
The flood of money reflects mounting political stakes for the AI industry. The Trump administration has generally taken a friendly approach to AI regulation, but tensions have flared after the White House slowed the release of the latest frontier models from Anthropic and OpenAI. Both companies are also watching closely to see how lawmakers respond to China-based open-weight models such as Moonshot AI's Kimi K3.
At the same time, the industry has grown deeply unpopular with the public, and some states are pushing back. New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed a data center moratorium into law, a signal that AI infrastructure is becoming a local political flashpoint.
The full extent of the spending may never be fully known. So-called "dark money" groups are not required to regularly disclose their expenditures, meaning the true total flowing into the midterms from AI interests could be substantially higher than the documented $65 million.
As AI companies convert their balance sheets into political influence, the 2026 midterms are shaping up to be the first national election fought largely over artificial intelligence policy. The outcome could determine how quickly frontier models are regulated, whether open-weight systems face restrictions, and which level of government sets the rules.
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