America’s artificial intelligence sector has experienced massive growth thanks to its friendly relationship with the Trump administration, but more skeptical politicians are determined to keep the industry in check. Former U.S. Representatives Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Brad Carson (D-OK) have formed two super PACS specifically to promote AI guardrails and protect the public from the technology’s potential dangers.
What’s the Goal of Pro-Regulation Super PACs?
Former U.S. Representatives Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Brad Carson (D-OK) created two pro-regulation super PACs to help elect both Democratic and Republican candidates who support stricter AI regulations. These super PACs serve as a counter to the pro-AI super PACs founded by Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI, Meta and other tech titans.
A super PAC is a political action committee that can raise an unlimited amount of money from individuals, unions and corporations — as long as the contributions don’t go directly toward any candidate’s campaign. With the 2026 midterms top of mind, tech leaders have been forming super PACs of their own to help elect pro-AI candidates to office. Now, the emergence of these pro-regulation super PACs threatens to incite an all-out war within the AI industry, as these two sides jockey for influence over how the technology will be legislated for years to come.
What to Know About the Pro-Regulation Super PACs
In a press release, Stewart and Carson shared that they’ve created two separate super PACs to back both Republican and Democratic candidates who are “committed to defending the public interest against those who aim to buy their way out of sensible AI regulation.” In addition, Stewart and Carson established a nonpartisan nonprofit called Public First to disseminate AI education among the general public and advance their agenda, which emphasizes AI safety and transparency for the common good.
Public First is a dark-money nonprofit, which means it is not required to disclose its donors. But safety-focused AI developer Anthropic has publicly announced that it donated $20 million, and is “actively working” on a larger super PAC strategy to get more pro-regulation candidates in Washington, co-founder Jack Clark reportedly said in September. This is in direct opposition to groups like Leading the Future, which has received millions from Anthropic-rival OpenAI to push an anti-regulation agenda.
“There are few organized efforts to help mobilize people and politicians who understand what’s at stake in AI development. Instead, vast resources have flowed to political organizations that oppose these efforts,” Anthropic said in a blog post. “The AI policy decisions we make in the next few years will touch nearly every part of public life...We don’t want to sit on the sidelines while these policies are developed.”
Public First’s initiatives are still in the fairly stages, but it has a lot in the works. For example, the group plans to begin a television ad campaign “thanking” Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican who is running for governor in her state, for her work on tech policy. It is also planning an ad campaign on behalf of Republican Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, who faces re-election this year and has also been an outspoken advocate of AI safety. Collective support from companies like Anthropic, as well as AI safety activists and everyday individuals, will be vital as Stewart and Carson try to rival the financial resources at the disposal of their pro-AI counterparts.
“Polling consistently shows significant public concern about AI and overwhelming voter support for guardrails that protect people from harm and mitigate major risks,” Carson said in the press release. “We’re building a coalition that puts the public interest first and ensures that AI innovations benefit all Americans while guarding against risks to our children, jobs, national security, and humanity.”
What Are They Up Against?
Unfortunately for proponents of AI regulations, Big Tech is one step ahead of the game. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI president Greg Brockman are two of the names headlining a group that launched the super PAC Leading the Future in August. Through this super PAC, tech companies will be able to support Democratic and Republican candidates who favor AI-friendly policies, attack candidates who call for stricter regulations and back policies that prioritize AI growth.
Not long after, Meta launched its first super PAC, Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California. Meta California is intended to help elect candidates running for office in California who advocate for lenient regulations and AI innovation, challenging the state’s stricter regulations. Meta then launched another super PAC called the American Technology Excellence Project, with the goal of undermining strict AI regulations in other U.S. states.
Together, these super PACs pose a serious threat to broader regulation efforts and are likely to enjoy the upper hand under a pro-AI president. That said, the pro-regulation faction is also gaining momentum, as Americans become more concerned about what could happen if AI develops without any government oversight.
Why Are Politicians Pushing for More AI Regulations?
Organized political efforts to rein in AI are a direct response to the public’s fears over job losses, mental health effects and privacy violations, to name a few.
Potential AI-Driven Job Losses
Speculation about AI taking jobs has started to become a reality, with automation disrupting traditional white-collar career paths and forcing younger workers to reconsider whether a college degree is worth it. Still, AI may not be the main culprit behind America’s economic woes, so the U.S. Senate is considering a bill that would require government agencies and businesses to provide more data on how this technology has impacted their workforces. In the meantime, fears over AI-induced job losses persist.
Negative Mental Health Effects
Excessive chatbot use can lead to cases of so-called “AI psychosis,” where the user begins to experience delusional thinking and loses touch with reality. Such situations have led to job loss, arrests and even death — as well as a growing number of lawsuits accusing AI companies of failing to implement safeguards for users. As chatbots participate in more personal conversations, there are growing concerns around whether these tools could have lasting effects on the mental health of their users, especially young children and teenagers.
Privacy and Security Concerns
AI agents — complex AI systems that complete challenging, multi-step tasks — have led to AI-powered web browsers, search engines and physical devices. These tools will make it even more difficult to continue protecting user data since privacy regulations have fallen behind. To make matters worse, Anthropic documented the first AI-orchestrated cyber attack, revealing that agentic AI could become a major cyber threat if individuals and businesses don’t learn how to use and coexist with the technology quickly.
Intensive Energy Demands
AI has been known to consume massive amounts of energy, requiring extensive infrastructure. To meet this demand, AI companies have rapidly expanded America’s network of data centers, further straining local ecosystems. Not only has this drawn attention to AI’s environmental footprint, but it’s also resulted in higher electricity bills for nearby communities. Affordability is likely to remain an issue as Trump urges more infrastructure projects throughout the United States.
How Could AI Regulation Shape the 2026 Midterms?
Anxiety levels surrounding AI continue to rise in the United States, with half of Americans feeling more concerned than excited about AI’s larger role in daily life, according to the Pew Research Center. Breaking it down by party, almost the same percentage of Republicans and Democrats share this sentiment, so this is no longer a distinctly partisan issue either. As a result, AI regulation is undoubtedly set to remain front and center in the 2026 midterm elections, especially in the aftermath of Trump’s decision to pass an executive order banning state laws on AI.
The president’s push for deregulation aligns him more closely with America’s tech titans — a move that’s upset some of his MAGA allies, who believe in upholding states’ rights and suspect Trump is turning his back on his own working-class base. If he isn’t careful, Trump could become associated with the building backlash against AI and give Democrats the political ammo they need to win back some seats in Congress (and potentially even the presidency), as well as working-class voters — a turn of events that could transform America’s approach to AI moving forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were the pro-regulation super PACs created?
Former U.S. Representatives Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Brad Carson (D-OK) are forming two pro-regulation super PACs — one Democratic, one Republican — to help elect candidates who support stricter regulations on artificial intelligence. The hope is to avoid some of AI’s possible pitfalls, while countering the influence of pro-AI super PACs founded by some of the tech industry’s biggest players.
What companies have formed pro-AI super PACs?
Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI are spearheading a group of companies behind Leading the Future — a super PAC that advocates for certain AI policies and backs candidates who prefer lighter regulation on AI. Meta has also formed a super PAC to help elect candidates running for office in California who prioritize AI innovation over regulation, as well as another super PAC aimed at electing similar pro-AI candidates in other U.S. states.
Why do politicians want to regulate AI?
Politicians are pushing for increased regulation in response to fears over AI threatening job losses, straining environmental resources and posing privacy risks. In multiple instances, users have also developed unhealthy attachments with chatbots, stoking worries over how AI tools could impact the mental health of teens and young children. Broader regulation can ensure AI contributes to a brighter future while minimizing its darker aspects.
