An insightful thread by Daniel Eth on AI lobbying. Re-posted in full w/ permission.

Recently, major AI industry players (incl. a16z, Meta, & OpenAI's Greg Brockman) announced >$100M in spending on pro-AI super PACs. This is an attempt to copy a wildly successful strategy from the crypto industry, to intimidate politicians away from pursuing AI regulations.🧵

First, some context. This is not normal. Only one industry has ever spent this much on election spending - the crypto industry spent similar sums in 2024 through the super PAC Fairshake. (The only super PACs that spend more are partisan & associated with one party/candidate.)

In case you’re not that cued in to US politics, Fairshake has basically unparalleled influence across the political spectrum within Congress. Their story is instructive, as the pro-AI super PACs are being funded & staffed by many of the key figures behind Fairshake.

A few years [...]

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First published:
September 20th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/oHYunY34gvdic9opt/ai-lobbying-is-not-normal

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“AI Lobbying is Not Normal” by Algon

LessWrong (30+ Karma)

“AI Lobbying is Not Normal” by Algon