Record lobbying, dirty air: AI's political weight grows
AI companies spent more than ever to influence Washington this summer. Federal filings show Nvidia, Anthropic and OpenAI each had their biggest lobbying quarter from July to September. Nvidia spent $2.2 million, Anthropic $2.1 million and OpenAI $1.5 million.
The physical cost is growing too. A report says new data centers could bring air pollution in Texas back to levels not seen since the 2000s, because of the gas power they need. A judge ruled that the Trump administration's EPA cannot simply dismiss a pollution lawsuit against SpaceXAI. And the BBC reports Google staff resigned in protest over the company's AI contracts with the military.
The companies that build AI are now also shaping the rules for AI. At the same time, local people pay part of the bill in air quality. Who decides, and who breathes the air, is a real question.
