OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia each reached a new high in quarterly lobbying spending between July and September, according to federal disclosures. Together, they spent nearly $6 million as policy debates touched AI safety, cybersecurity, child safety, trade, and the infrastructure needed to run AI systems.
Three companies, three record quarters
Nvidia spent $2.2 million, Anthropic spent $2.1 million, and OpenAI spent $1.5 million. The amounts are smaller than some established technology companies’ lobbying budgets: Microsoft has spent at least $2 million a quarter going back to 2021, while Google regularly spends over $3 million, including this quarter.
The comparison puts the AI firms’ spending in context, but their new highs still show how much attention they are giving to policy. Their filings describe contact with Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and other offices on issues that could affect how AI is developed and deployed.
AI rules intersect with safety and infrastructure
Anthropic’s disclosure listed bills, executive orders, and other topics discussed with Congress and the White House. Its filing included AI-related provisions in the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), export control provisions in the AI Overwatch Act, Trump’s executive order renaming AI “Super Intelligence,” and the Ratepayer Protection Act, which aims to put energy costs for data centers on their developers.
These topics span several kinds of policy decisions. Child safety and AI oversight concern how systems are governed, while export controls and the cost of powering data centers touch the conditions under which companies can build and operate them. The filings show companies engaging across those questions, though they do not explain every position taken in each discussion.
OpenAI reported lobbying Congress, the White House, the Small Business Administration, and the Commerce and State Departments. The listed subjects included cybersecurity evaluations for frontier models, AI safety oversight frameworks, and antitrust protections for information sharing, alongside copyright issues.
The disclosure gives only high-level topics, and the source article says the activity appears to respond to some of the fallout from the Hugging Face attack. It does not provide further detail connecting particular lobbying conversations to that incident.
Nvidia’s agenda reaches beyond AI
Nvidia’s reported lobbying covered Congress, several federal agencies, and White House offices. Its listed subjects included 6G networks, “responsible AI design,” competition policy, quantum computing, and export control policy.
The range illustrates that lobbying by an AI company can involve more than rules aimed specifically at AI systems. Network technology, competition, and export controls also appear in the company’s disclosure, alongside questions about AI design. The filing identifies the topics but does not set out the company’s arguments on each one.
More technology companies are active
Apple also reported a record quarter, spending $3.1 million. Its lobbying covered intellectual property, tariffs, kids online safety, competition, and domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Among the bills it engaged on were proposals that seek to put the onus on app stores to verify users’ ages. It was Apple’s first quarter reporting more than $3 million in lobbying spending.
Technology leaders were also visible in Washington during the period. Many attended a White House lunch with President Donald Trump in late September, which resulted in a “morally binding” AI safety accord that they agreed to. The disclosures point to frequent discussions behind the scenes as well.
Policy work may keep growing
The spending increases follow a recent rise for the AI firms. OpenAI did not spend $1 million in a single quarter until this year and did not spend more than half a million until the end of 2024. Anthropic’s highest quarterly spending last year was just over $1 million. This was Nvidia’s first quarter spending more than $2 million.
The source article describes this quarter as a lead-up to the midterm elections and says Democrats are expected to win back at least some control in Congress. It also points to data center development and AI safety as issues on many voters’ minds. With those debates continuing, the disclosures suggest companies see a reason to keep engaging with lawmakers, whatever party holds control next year.