A new political force is emerging in the United States — the artificial intelligence lobby. Large tech companies, which not long ago presented themselves as idealistic startups, are now actively establishing a presence in Washington, building influence over policy, regulation, and financial flows that will shape the future of the industry.
Key players include OpenAI, Anthropic, Scale AI, and NVIDIA. While the first two companies previously spoke about the “ethical development” and “safe use” of AI, they are now hiring experienced lobbyists and creating permanent offices in the capital. NVIDIA, which produces critically important chips for AI systems, has officially registered lobbyists in Washington for the first time. Scale AI, already collaborating with the Pentagon, is actively strengthening its position in defense technologies.
The goal of these efforts is to influence future regulation while maintaining the most flexible conditions for themselves. The companies advocate for so-called “smart regulation,” which in practice means minimal government intervention. At the same time, they push initiatives to secure federal grants and simplify procedures for building data centers, increasing energy capacity, and accessing infrastructure.
A particularly notable development was the U.S. House of Representatives’ decision to impose a ten-year moratorium on local AI regulation. This temporarily strips states of the right to enact their own laws controlling the use of artificial intelligence. Critics view this move as an attempt by corporations to centralize control over the industry and avoid multi-level restrictions.
The U.S. administration, for its part, increasingly emphasizes economic competition with China rather than the risks of the technology itself. The argument of global leadership in AI has become the rationale for loosening regulatory requirements and providing more open support to the sector.
At the same time, experts warn that under the pressure of lobbyists, social risks of AI — including discrimination, privacy violations, threats to creators, and mass workforce reductions — may remain uncontrolled. Today, corporations, rather than the government or civil society, largely set the agenda in the AI sphere.
Artificial intelligence in the U.S. is no longer just a technology — it has become a political factor. While some see this as a path to innovative breakthroughs, others caution that without real oversight of the AI lobby, the future may be less secure than its creators promise.
