Public First Action Announces $80 Million Raised to Date, $20 Million Raised in Last 10 Days
Bipartisan effort exceeds the $50 million target announced at launch as support builds for commonsense AI protections
WASHINGTON, DC — Public First Action, the bipartisan 501(c)(4) organization advocating for stronger AI safeguards that put the public interest first, announced today that the organization has raised more than $80 million to date with $20 million of the total raised in the last 10 days. The total surpasses the $50 million goal the effort set at its launch. The increased funding for Public First Action shows the depth of support for AI safeguards and the importance of organizations fighting for the public interest in AI policy as conversations about regulating AI gain attention.
“We said we would raise $50 million, and Big Tech’s allies said we couldn't. We just passed $80 million and counting,” said Brad Carson, co-founder of Public First Action. “The project to counter anti-regulatory voices in our democracy is winning. Every dollar we raise sends the same message: no elected official will stand alone when they back AI safeguards, not this year, not next year, not ever. Voters are firmly pro-safeguards, and for leaders, the political risk is no longer championing AI safety, it’s ignoring the public demand for safeguards.”
“Protecting children, defending American workers, and keeping our most advanced technology out of the hands of adversaries like China are not partisan issues,” said Chris Stewart, co-founder of Public First Action. “This effort is bipartisan by design, and the response we've seen from donors and supporters in both parties shows just how broad the demand is for sensible AI policy.”
The milestone reflects rapidly growing support for a simple proposition: elected officials who stand up for AI safeguards that protect kids, families, workers, and national security should not face intimidation for standing with their constituents. Polling consistently shows that overwhelming majorities of Americans, across party lines, believe the government is not doing enough to set rules for AI.
Public First Action was founded by former Rep. Brad Carson (D-OK) and former Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) as a counterweight to the AI industry’s political machine, which has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to blocking state AI legislation, weakening export controls on advanced chips, and attempting to intimidate elected officials who support reasonable safeguards.
For more information, please contact Public First Action at media@publicfirst.us.
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