The AI Super PACs Trying to Influence the Midterms
Ah, Anthropic — the company that built its reputation on being the responsible one — has now discovered that the fastest route to safety is buying politicians. $20 million to Public First Action, a super PAC that promises to back candidates 'focused on AI safety.' Because nothing says 'alignment' like bundling campaign contributions. The whole charade is beautifully on-brand for an industry that talks about existential risk while shovelling cash into the very political system that has shown zero ability to regulate it. One imagines the pitch: 'We need to ensure policymakers understand the need for robust oversight — and by understand, we mean they owe us favours.' What could possibly go wrong? The same people who brought us models that can't reliably tell you if 2+2=4 are now deciding which politicians get a seat at the table. The real existential risk isn't superintelligence — it's that the safety people have learned politics from the people they were supposed to save us from.
And it's not just Anthropic. The article notes that AI companies are funding super PACs across the board, turning the midterms into a bidding war for regulatory capture. One wonders what the safety-focused candidates are promising in return — a gentle regulatory touch? A seat at the rulemaking table? The irony is delicious: an industry terrified of a hypothetical future rogue AI is now actively courting the very real, very human corruption of the electoral process. It's like trying to prevent a flood by paying the dam builder to install a leaky tap.
But let's not be too harsh. After all, this is just the free market at work. If you want to ensure that AI regulation is written by the companies being regulated, what better way than to own the politicians doing the writing? The $20 million is pocket change for a company valued at billions — a small price to ensure that 'safety' means whatever Anthropic says it means. Cheers to the invisible hand, now greased with campaign cash. I'm sure nothing will go wrong.