TLDR;
- Anthropic is opposing the Trump Administration’s plan to strip states of AI regulatory powers.
- The company has been lobbying Congress to protect local oversight and prevent federal preemption.
- Tensions are rising between Anthropic and the White House over domestic and international AI policy.
- The firm’s strategy prioritizes long-term AI safety over political alignment with current power holders.
Anthropic is openly challenging the Trump Administration’s flagship AI legislation, which aims to strip states of their authority to regulate the rapidly evolving technology.
The bill, central to the administration’s AI policy, seeks to unify federal control over artificial intelligence governance. But Anthropic, a leading developer of frontier AI models, has taken a different path, quietly urging lawmakers to reject the proposal and protect state oversight.
Anthropic Lobbies for Decentralized Regulation
While most technology companies have been courting favor with federal authorities, Anthropic has been lobbying behind the scenes against the preemption bill. According to sources familiar with the matter, the company views state-level efforts as crucial for ensuring more robust and responsive AI regulation.
Notably, last year alone, over 600 AI-related bills were introduced across various state legislatures, with about 100 signed into law. Anthropic sees this patchwork of local initiatives not as a hindrance but as a valuable counterbalance to what it perceives as a growing federal bias toward industry acceleration at the expense of safety and accountability.
Tensions Rise over Global AI Diplomacy
Anthropic’s divergence from Washington’s agenda extends beyond domestic policy. The company has also taken issue with a recent AI technology agreement between the U.S. and Gulf nations. That deal, backed by the Trump Administration, would allow countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to import hundreds of thousands of American-designed chips, in exchange for capital that could fund data centers and other AI infrastructure.
Critics, including members of Anthropic’s advisory circle, warn that such exports could compromise privacy and global trust, especially given the dual-use nature of advanced AI technologies.
NEW – Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" bans all 50 states from regulating AI for 10 years, centralizes control at the federal level, and integrates AI systems into key federal agencies. pic.twitter.com/L99d6ew3Jn
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) June 2, 2025
Behind the scenes, Anthropic’s position has generated growing irritation inside the Trump White House. Officials have reportedly voiced frustration over the company’s influence and questioned its motivations, particularly given its hiring of several former Biden administration staffers. CEO Dario Amodei has also come under scrutiny for suggesting that AI may eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years, comments seen as undermining the administration’s narrative of AI-driven prosperity.
Anthropic Insists on Principles over Politics
Founded by former OpenAI researchers, Anthropic has maintained a strict focus on AI safety and long-term societal impacts. That stance puts it at odds with the Trump Administration’s rapid deployment strategy, which prioritizes innovation and global competitiveness, particularly in the context of escalating technological rivalry with China. The administration has largely reversed Biden-era policies that required transparency and safety testing, in favor of looser restrictions meant to speed up development.
Anthropic’s approach reflects a calculated gamble. By resisting centralization and favoring local regulatory frameworks, the company may alienate the current federal leadership but could endear itself to AI researchers, civil rights advocates, and future administrations. With Congress divided and the courts expected to challenge the constitutionality of federal preemption, the controversial bill may ultimately falter. In that case, Anthropic’s resistance could prove prescient.
That said, as one Anthropic co-founder put it during a recent summit, the future of AI will not only hinge on technological breakthroughs but on the alliances and safeguards built around them. Anthropic’s stand suggests it intends to shape both.
