AI Industry: AI industry uses light lobbying to educate Congress from a corporate perspective

The artificial intelligence industry has experienced tremendous growth. lobbying In recent years, technology has exploded, with dozens of influencers being hired to help shape potential government measures. This growth is not surprising. The technology is being rapidly adopted by powerful sectors (healthcare, defense, financial services), all hoping to have a say in potential regulations.

As AI evolves at such a rapid pace, legislators They rely on the Lobbyists‘ experience because think tanks, nonprofit groups and academia are struggling to keep up with minute-by-minute technological changes.

Based on PowerPoint slides and briefing documents, AI Industry Lobbyists spend a lot of time face-to-face with lawmakers and staffers, advising them on the ins and outs of technology.

The campaign has been successful, according to lawmakers and lobbyists who point to the lack of movement on any legislation designed to regulate AI, one of the most complex and vexing policy issues facing the federal government.

What’s happening?

Lobbyists in Washington have been competing to capture clients with interests in AI, a reflection of the fact that the technology is growing and Congress It is working to determine how best to regulate the industry.

According to a study by Open Secrets, a watchdog that tracks money in politics, the number of organizations lobbying on AI rose to 460 in 2023, an increase of more than 190 percent over 2022. The number of organizations grew slightly to 462 in 2024. The groups behind these lobbyists include major corporations or commercial organizations behind the rise of AI, from trade networks like the Chamber of Commerce or the Business Roundtable to corporations including Microsoft, Intuit, and Amazon.

One of the main reasons for this growth is that AI affects many different aspects of life, from healthcare and education to national security and the risks of misinformation.

AI companies seek to stifle the European style regulation

The main goal of most of these lobbyists is to convince Washington that fears surrounding AI are exaggerated and that the United States does not need to follow the example of the European Union, which approved first-of-its-kind regulations earlier this year with the Artificial Intelligence Act.

“The constant refrain is that you shouldn’t do what the EU has done. The blatant argument is that the EU is a regulatory superpower,” said Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat who focuses on AI. “I have yet to hear anyone defend the EU.”

So far, Congress has been very light on the AI ​​issue. Neither chamber is likely to pass legislation before the November election, something some lawmakers say is necessary because of the way AI, using complex computer technology, can create believable but false images, audio and video, leading voters to question what they see and hear and undermining trust in elections.

How are they doing?

AI lobbyists spend much of their time simply explaining how the technology works.

While these lobbyists continue to host events across the capital and fill campaign accounts with cash, they are focusing on educating members of Congress and presenting themselves as a source of information about the changing industry.

“On AI, we’re pushing for a door to be opened” in Congress, said Craig Albright, the chief lobbyist and senior vice president of The Software Alliance, a trade group whose members include Microsoft, OpenAI and IBM. “They want to be educated.”

Albright called this work “the main thing we do.”

Varun Krovi, a tech lobbyist, said these educational campaigns are effective because they build a level of rapport and trust between lobbyists and lawmakers.

“It’s a powerful way to establish and solidify your relationship with these members and staff because you’re not asking them to support Bill X or oppose Bill Y,” said Krovi, head of government relations and public policy at the Center for AI Safety Action Fund.

“You’re actually taking a step back and saying we’re here to answer any technical questions you might have and this is why you should listen to us. It’s incredibly powerful,” Krovi said.

One reason for that power, say skeptics of how AI is regulated, is that outside entities like academia and nonprofits can’t keep up with the AI ​​companies and trade associations that influence Congress. Members of Congress are more willing to listen to representatives of well-known tech companies than to those of more impartial experts, academics say.

Where are the think tanks and academia?

Right now, Congress is hearing mostly from industry-linked lobbyists, according to lobbyists and academics. Academia and nonprofits, which provide nonpartisan research and analysis on issues ranging from AI deployment to the threat it poses to society, can’t keep pace with advances in the technology. The most innovative work is being generated by for-profit companies, which can afford the best equipment and researchers.

“It’s very difficult for academia to counter this massive level of pressure,” said Max Tegmark, a professor who conducts research on artificial intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “You feel a bit like you’re trying to explain something to someone else in the front row of a heavy metal concert.”

MIT and other institutions have held meetings with members of Congress about AI. MIT has hosted lawmakers in Boston and offered similar briefings in Washington over the past two years. Nonprofits have tried to do the same.

“We’re trying to keep up, but… academia has a big challenge, which is access to computing resources. That’s something that industry has right now,” said Asu Ozdaglar, chair of MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “We’re keeping up, we’re doing research… but in order to stay in the game, we need to have access to those resources.”