Artificial Intelligence: AI companies spend record sums on Washington lobbying

Rising expenditure from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Microsoft reflects growing battle over federal policy

28. Juli 2026 um 16:00 Uhr / Von Michael Taffe, Financial Times

CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman walks through the Hart Senate Office Building, following meetings on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2026. Bild: REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

America's leading AI companies spent record sums on lobbying in Washington in recent months as they try to limit unfriendly regulation and shape the US rules around data centres and vetting advanced models.

OpenAI nearly doubled its federal lobbying expenditure to a record $2.22mn in the first half of 2026, compared to last year, while Anthropic nearly tripled its spending to $3.53mn, according to federal disclosures. Google, along with Microsoft, spent as much as in any quarter since 2020.