AI Companies Are Spending $100 Million to Buy the 2026 Elections

The AI industry isn't just building the future anymore. It's trying to buy the politicians who will decide how that future gets regulated.

A political group called Innovation Council Action, which has ties to two of President Trump's advisors, just announced it would spend at least $100 million on the 2026 midterm elections. And that's just one group.

Federal Election Commission filings show AI money is flowing to both Democrats and Republicans. Some groups are attacking candidates who want stricter AI laws. Others are backing candidates who promise to leave the industry alone. It's a full-court press from every angle.

"The stakes are really high because once a regulatory system gets entrenched, it's really hard to change it," University of Rochester professor David Primo told ABC News.

Here's what this means for regular people: the rules that will govern how AI affects your job, your privacy, and your daily life are being shaped right now by whoever writes the biggest check. And the AI industry has very deep pockets.

This isn't new. Big industries have always tried to influence politics. But the speed and scale of AI lobbying is unlike anything we've seen before.

As reported by ABC News.

Source: ABC News