The number of lobbyists working on issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) surged in 2023 compared to the previous four years as the federal government considered AI regulation, according to a report released by the advocacy group Public Citizen on Wednesday.
Both the number of clients lobbying on AI-related issues and the number of lobbyists hired by clients to lobby on AI-related issues significantly increased in 2023 compared to relatively stagnant amounts between 2019 and 2022, the report found based on analysis of all lobbying disclosures from 2019 to 2023.
The number of clients lobbying on AI-related issues increased by 120 percent from 2022 to 2023, up to 566 clients in 2023 compared to 272 in 2022.
The number of lobbyists hired by clients to lobby on AI-related issues also increased by 120 percent from 2020 to 2023, up to 3,140 compared to 1,552 in 2022.
Public Citizen expects lobbyist engagement to continue rising in 2024 as federal agencies work to enact actions directed by the Biden administration under the executive order released in October and Congress considers proposals related to AI.
“We’re reaching a point where the policies that are going to shape AI policy in the next 10 years are really being decided now,” said Mike Tanglis, research director at Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division.
“From our perspective, having the leading voices on an issue being those that stand to make billions of dollars is generally not a good idea for the public,” Tanglis added.
The number of lobbyists engaging with the White House rose dramatically even within the course of 2023, based on the report. The number ticked up each quarter, jumping 188 percent from 322 reported in the first quarter to 931 by the fourth quarter of the year.
The sharp rise in 2023 coincided with the release of the Biden administration’s executive order on AI and led to an increase in lobbying of both the White House and other agencies that were directed to take action under the executive order, the report found.
Based on the report, lobbying on AI-related issues spanned across industries — beyond the tech sector alone.
The tech industry was the most active in AI lobbying but still only accounted for 20 percent of lobbyists. Other industries with lobbyists for AI-related issues included financial services, education, transportation, defense, media and healthcare.
Tangled said, “We shouldn’t just revert back to something that we’ve done many times in the past,” which is defer to the industry regulating itself.
“That has worked out horrendously for us in the past. And I think we shouldn’t make that same mistake when it comes to AI,” Tanglis said.
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