OpenAI President Brockman Donates $25 Million to Anti-Regulation PAC Leading the Future

OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife Anna donated $25 million to Leading the Future, a political group opposing AI regulations it deems overly restrictive, Reuters reported Wednesday. The group is spending millions to influence at least 48 U.S. House and Senate races, according to the report. The donation drew scrutiny because Brockman recently signed a voluntary AI safety agreement alongside five other tech executives, committing to independent audits and safeguards against unintended system access. OpenAI has separately advocated for enforceable national AI safety rules. The company said the donation was personal and does not represent its position. Leading the Future, backed by $50 million from Andreessen Horowitz and its founders, supports candidates including Kentucky Senate hopeful Andy Barr, who favors federal pre-emption of state AI rules. Rival Anthropic has given at least $40 million to Public First Action, which opposes pre-emption. Both OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing what could rank among the largest-ever IPOs, making future compliance costs a valuation consideration.