Anthropic, an American AI company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems, has announced a $20 million contribution to Public First Action, a new bipartisan 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to AI policy, public education, and safety safeguards. The initiative aims to accelerate the development of a federal regulatory framework as AI capabilities advance from simple chatbots to autonomous agents.
Anthropic stated that the contribution is intended to counter organized opposition to AI regulation and align with public sentiment, citing polling that shows 69% of Americans believe the government is not doing enough to regulate the technology. The company emphasized that these proposed regulations should target the most powerful models developed by well-resourced companies rather than smaller developers, ensuring that corporate interests do not supersede public safety.
The funding supports a bipartisan effort led by Democratic and Republican strategists to address risks associated with the misuse of AI, such as automated cyberattacks and the potential development of dangerous weapons. Public First Action’s policy priorities include mandating transparency for “frontier” AI models, supporting federal governance that does not weaken existing state laws, and implementing export controls on AI chips to maintain national security.
