Throughout 2023, interest in artificial intelligence technology surged to astronomical highs, and with that came scrutiny on how it should be developed and utilized morally and legally. In the United States where lobbying is rampant, that had companies with the most investment in AI development scrambling to keep the government from cracking down hard on the tech. Reports show that in 2023, US government lobbying relating to AI regulation increased by around 185 percent compared to the previous year.

This massive increase in AI-related lobbying was addressed in an OpenSecrets report on CNBC. According to the report, a large amount of high-value tech companies with investment in AI poured an exorbitant amount of money into lobbying the US government in regards to AI regulation. Some of the companies included were Tesla, Pinterest, Samsung, Nvidia, Disney, AMD, DoorDash, OpenAI, and TikTok owner ByteDance.

Those are just the biggest names that were involved in the report. More than 450 organizations participated in AI-related lobbying throughout 2023. Of that 450, around 330 of those organizations had not lobbied in regards to AI regulation at all in 2022.

One of the key moments of the regulation regarding the AI craze in 2023 was President Joe Biden’s executive order requiring development of safety standards in AI technologies. Following the major political move, lawmakers, lobbyists, labor unions, and more scrambled to dissect the entirety of the order and determine how to move forward with AI rules and development. However, it has hardly stopped major players like Tesla and Google from banking big on new advancements and services in the sector.

With large amounts of spending going into lobbying on AI regulation, it’s sure to have effect on the rules and regulations we see as legal authorities attempt to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology. Stay tuned for more AI news and updates here at Shacknews.