The AI Giants' Political War Has Begun

A single photograph from last week's AI summit in India tells the whole story. Instead of the planned handshake, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stood with clenched fists. Their corporate rivalry has now exploded into Washington's biggest political spending war of 2026.

Both AI giants are mobilizing over $100 million for November's midterm elections, turning artificial intelligence regulation from a policy debate into an electoral battlefield that could reshape which party controls Congress.

The New Jersey Opening Shot

Anthropic fired first this week, backing Rep. Josh Gottheimer through its Public First Action super PAC. The New Jersey Democrat and House AI Commission co-chair has walked a careful line—curious about AI regulation but not "overbearing," as he puts it.

Their 30-second ad was blunt: "He can make sure A.I. serves us, not the other way around." The message urged voters to contact Gottheimer opposing federal legislation that would prevent states from drafting their own AI protection rules.

Meanwhile, OpenAI's camp is taking the opposite approach. Leading the Future, backed by co-founder Greg Brockman, has already spent $1.1 million trying to defeat New York Assembly member Alex Bores, who's been pushing state-level AI regulatory laws.

The Money Trail Reveals Everything

AI firms poured $83 million into federal elections last year. This year could easily double that figure. Leading the Future alone expects to raise another $50 million in Q1 from the Brockmans and Andreessen Horowitz.

Brockman claims he wants "constructive dialogue" between government and tech. But the reality is more strategic: neutralize pro-regulation lawmakers while boosting AI-friendly candidates.

The crypto playbook is already working. Former Senator Sherrod Brown lost his 2024 Ohio re-election bid partly due to cryptocurrency interests mobilizing against him. Now AI companies are copying that strategy.

Regulation vs Innovation: The Real Battle Lines

What's fascinating is neither side openly opposes regulation. Anthropic supports "AI guardrails," while OpenAI's allies favor "thoughtful" oversight. The devil is in the details.

Anthropic backs state-level regulatory authority—letting New York, California, and other states craft their own AI rules. OpenAI's camp prefers federal uniformity, arguing patchwork state laws will stifle innovation.

It's really about who controls the regulatory agenda. State lawmakers might be tougher on Big Tech than federal politicians who depend on Silicon Valley campaign contributions.

"The fear of being tagged with AI or tech attacks may deter some policymakers from taking stances that would be considered a regulatory burden to tech companies," warns Alex Jacquez, former Biden aide now at the Groundwork Collaborative.

The Scorched Earth Campaign

The gloves are already off. When Public First Action endorsed Gottheimer, Leading the Future immediately fired back on social media: "This is Sam Bankman-Fried 2.0 with the same people, with the same funding, advancing the same self-serving agenda."

Comparing rivals to the disgraced crypto mogul serving 25 years for fraud signals this won't be a genteel policy debate. It's political warfare with nine-figure budgets.