The AI industry has a lobbying problem, and it has decided to spend its way through it. FEC filings disclosed in mid-July 2026 show that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei personally donated $1 million to Public First, a super PAC focused on AI regulation, in May 2026. Five Anthropic employees followed with contributions that pushed the collective total past $2 million, timed closely to the New York primary.
It was Amodei’s first seven-figure political donation.
What Public First actually is, and why it matters
Back in February 2026, Anthropic pledged $20 million to Public First Action, the PAC’s affiliated organization. The PAC’s mission is to support candidates who favor AI safety legislation, specifically the kind of rules that would require mandatory testing of frontier models and give regulators the authority to block deployment of systems deemed dangerous. Amodei has argued that AI regulation should look more like aviation or pharmaceutical oversight, where products face rigorous scrutiny before they reach consumers.
Public First has also routed funds to other aligned committees and backed candidates in competitive primaries, including efforts in the New York race.
