OpenAI Steps Up Lobbying Efforts As It Seeks To Shape AI Regulations Amid Growing Concerns About Safety

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is significantly expanding its lobbying team, aiming to shape the regulatory landscape for AI amid growing concerns about AI safety.

What Happened: The San Francisco-based company has rapidly grown its global affairs team from three members at the beginning of 2023 to 35. OpenAI intends to increase this number to 50 by the end of 2024, reported the Financial Times.

The expansion is a strategic move to influence the development of AI safety legislation, which could potentially restrict the growth of Microsoft Corp.-backed OpenAI’s advanced models.

The company’s global affairs department, though a small fraction of its 1,200-strong workforce, is strategically placed in countries where AI legislation is being formulated, such as Belgium, the UK, Ireland, France, Singapore, India, Brazil, and the U.S.

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OpenAI is playing catch-up with its Big Tech rivals in this area. Public filings in the U.S. show that Meta Platforms Inc. spent a record $7.6 million on government engagement in the first quarter of 2024, while Google spent $3.1 million and OpenAI spent $340,000. Meta has 15 lobbyists for AI-specific advocacy, Alphabet Inc.’s Google has five, and OpenAI has only two.

OpenAI has recently recruited Jakob Kucharczyk, formerly a competition lead at Meta Platforms. Sandro Gianella, who previously worked at Google and Stripe Inc., joined as head of European policy and partnerships in June last year, and James Hairston, who came from Meta, joined as head of international policy and partnerships in May last year.

Why It Matters: The expansion of OpenAI’s lobbying team comes amid increasing scrutiny of AI by governments worldwide. The company’s efforts to influence AI regulation are crucial, given the potential impact on its business operations and the wider AI industry.

OpenAI’s aggressive lobbying strategy is in line with its recent moves to partner with Apple Inc. and expand its presence in Asia, with a new office in Tokyo. These developments underscore the company’s commitment to shaping the future of AI and ensuring its continued growth and innovation.

However, OpenAI’s lobbying efforts have also attracted criticism, with some industry figures suggesting that the company’s strategy is not in line with its original mission.

"Initially, OpenAI recruited people deeply involved in AI policy and specialists, whereas now they are just hiring run-of-the-mill tech lobbyists, which is a very different strategy," said a person directly involved in crafting legislation with OpenAI, according to the report.

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote