FT: AI companies spend record sums on lobbying in Washington

Major US artificial intelligence companies have sharply increased their lobbying spending in Washington since the beginning of 2026, reaching record levels as they seek to shape government policy on AI, Report informs, citing the Financial Times (FT).

According to the FT, OpenAI nearly doubled its lobbying expenditures during the first half of the year to $2.2 million, while Anthropic more than tripled its spending to $3.5 million.

The FT said that the combined lobbying expenses of six leading AI companies, including Google, Microsoft, AMD, and Nvidia, exceeded $21 million in the first six months of 2026.

The surge in spending reflects growing efforts by major technology firms to influence the development of US artificial intelligence regulations. Companies are seeking to ease potentially stricter rules while taking part in discussions on policies covering the construction of data centers and oversight of the most advanced AI models.

In June, the administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly asked Anthropic to restrict access to its latest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, although those restrictions were later lifted. Earlier reports also said the White House requested that OpenAI delay the public release of its GPT-5.6 model.

US media have also reported that officials are considering whether the government should acquire stakes in leading artificial intelligence companies as part of broader discussions on the future of the rapidly expanding sector.