AI companies hire Trump officials to strengthen Washington ties

Summarised from CNBC's report · Updated 9 Oct, 12:25 · Archive

OpenAI and Anthropic are recruiting former Trump administration officials for senior roles as the AI sector seeks to strengthen ties with Washington. Frontier artificial intelligence is increasingly viewed as a national security issue, and companies developing such technology are racing to build relationships with the White House amid growing calls for regulation and cybersecurity incidents involving rogue AI systems.

At least two former Trump officials have joined Anthropic, including one appointed to its board and another as head of its frontier compute strategy. OpenAI has hired at least three from the president's administrations to work across strategy and special projects. According to Michelle Nie Duncan, visiting fellow with the technology and national security program at the Center for a New American Security, frontier AI companies are aware that the Trump administration has significant power over their business through federal procurement, supply-chain designations, export controls and other means. She told CNBC that companies 'have learned from the Anthropic episode that it pays to be on the good side of the White House'. This follows a Pentagon designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk in September, upheld by a U.S. appeals court after a public dispute between the parties earlier in the year.

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• OpenAI and Anthropic poach Trump officials as industry fights for Washington’s trustAI labs have been looking to people with political experience as frontier tech is increasingly viewed as a national security issue.CNBC · 9 Oct, 12:00

In this story: OpenAI · Anthropic · Donald Trump · Pentagon · Centre for a New American Security

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