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Companies and business groups are rushing to influence Washington’s artificial intelligence policies as the industry booms and Donald Trump’s administration seeks to encourage the powerful technology in the US.
More than 500 organisations lobbied the White House and Congress on AI between January and June, according to a Financial Times analysis of federal disclosures released this week. The figure is on a par with the first half of last year but has nearly doubled since 2023.
The lobbying boom over the past two years highlights how the AI industry, which is backed by Big Tech companies and deep-pocketed investors, is looking to shape policy at a time of intense debate about the technology.
“The US government is not only a gigantic potential customer but also a public validator of new technology approaches,” said Tony Samp, head of AI policy at law firm DLA Piper and a lobbyist for OpenAI, Boston Dynamics and other companies. “Unlike in years past when the government was often viewed as a hindrance, the business community increasingly views the US government as a key partner.”
Trump is expected to speak on Wednesday at an AI summit and promote a new White House framework.
Sam Altman, chief executive of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, told regulators, officials and bankers at an event organised by the Federal Reserve on Tuesday that “government has got to embrace this technology”.
He added: “It will be able to do everything better.”
OpenAI began to lobby in 2023, spending $380,000, as Washington began to seriously consider ways to regulate its industry. The company has already more than quadrupled its lobbying effort, spending $1.8mn in the first half of 2025 to influence the White House and Congress.
The lobbying efforts come as Big Tech companies are spending hundreds of billions a year on AI infrastructure as they bet the technology will be transformational to the global economy.
Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta have thrown their weight behind numerous initiatives designed to boost their AI efforts, from an unsuccessful campaign to ban states from regulating the technology for a decade, to lobbying for government support to build vast data centres and new energy sources to power them.
To back their demands, executives have argued that AI could add trillions of dollars to US GDP over the next decade. They are also warning that the US cannot afford to fall behind China in AI and risks squandering its lead in AI by introducing onerous safety and testing regulations as are being introduced in Europe.
Tech companies including Google and Meta are also seeking relief from a series of federal antitrust cases that could lead to their being forced to break up, while AI start-ups such as OpenAI and Anthropic are fighting lawsuits that accuse them of stealing publishers’ intellectual property to train their models without consent or payment. AI groups contend their use of these works is allowed as “fair use” under copyright law.
The organisations that hire AI lobbyists go well beyond the giant tech groups, and include car manufacturers, health insurance companies, private equity firms and civil rights and trade groups. Doctors, accountants and movie directors are also among those launching lobbying campaigns.
Additional reporting by Claire Jones in Washington
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