Public First Sets 2027 AI Safety Agenda

The group that backs AI regulation laid out its priorities after midterm results it called a win for safety advocates.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

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Should the federal government set strict rules on artificial intelligence, even if states differ?

Public First Action outlined its 2027 priorities after midterm elections it viewed as a win for AI safety advocates. Leading the Future, a super PAC backing AI development, suffered a setback in the same elections.

Why it matters

The priorities focus on congressional rules, state authority over AI policy, and political messaging, shaping how AI rules may be written in the United States. The group's stated goal is to preserve states' ability to write their own AI rules while Congress considers legislation.

Public First holds $30 million to counter messaging that backs AI development, and it receives substantial funding from Anthropic. The extraction does not specify how the funds will be divided among advocacy, candidate support, or messaging efforts.

The players

Public First Action

Public First Action is a political advocacy group focused on AI safety regulation, which outlined its 2027 priorities after the midterm elections.

Leading the Future

Leading the Future is a super PAC that backs AI development and suffered a setback in the midterm elections.

Anthropic

Anthropic is an AI company that provides substantial funding to Public First.

The details

Public First plans to support candidates who favor AI safety regulation and to back legislation that preserves state authority over AI rules. The group also supports regulatory guardrails for AI and has positioned its funding against pro-AI messaging campaigns.

2027: Public First's stated priorities period begins.

Roadmap

Public First's 2027 agenda extends its midterm-cycle political spending into the next congressional session, when federal AI legislation is expected to be debated. The group's push to preserve state authority over AI rules places it in a continuing debate over whether federal or state governments should set the primary framework for the technology.

Public First's priorities could influence which AI rules states and Congress adopt, affecting how companies deploy AI tools used by consumers. Its planned candidate support may shape the political environment in which those rules are written.

The takeaway

The outcome of AI policy fights in the coming years will depend heavily on how federal and state authority is divided and on how groups on both sides spend to influence candidates. Readers tracking AI regulation should watch how Congress addresses state rule-making power.