AI Firms Ramp Up Lobbying in US, Europe

Oh marvellous — while we were all worrying about extinction risk, the real AI safety work was happening on K Street. Public Citizen's tally of over 3,500 federal lobbyists on AI issues — a 170% spike in three years — suggests the industry's foremost innovation is influence. And guess what? It's bipartisan! According to watchdog disclosures, firms are spending on both sides because principles are for holiday cards, not line items. Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Commission confirms AI lobby meetings jumped nearly..

The pattern is drearily familiar: legislate slowly, lobby hard. OpenAI's CEO was in Washington twice last month, reportedly wearing actual shoes, making sincere eye contact. They're all learning what the tobacco and fossil fuel industries perfected long ago: written principles get violated, dollar-based principles get obeyed. Public Citizen said 3,500 lobbyists; in houses of government worldwide, this year is estimated to be the biggest hiring surge in corporate representation.

Our prior coverage flagged OpenAI rewriting principles became freshly hilarious — altruism is negotiable, lobbying contracts aren't. As AI obtains real-world power (last week's tragedy confirmed government transparency & regulation of, etc.), increased spending may continue. 'I think we merely face improved calibration,' murmured our ghoul's laugh.