• Microsoft President Brad Smith visited President Joe Biden's White House multiple times while the company sought to shape the administration's policy on artificial intelligence, according to visitor records.
• Leaders from Microsoft and its partner OpenAI were instrumental in advancing Biden's campaign, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
• “Make no mistake about it, Microsoft is exploiting the administration's incompetence for its own benefit. In the absence of any real strategy or vision from the White House, Microsoft is taking advantage of the administration's incompetence to shape policy to suit its own interests. We're happy to fill in the blanks,” Jake Denton, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Technology Policy Center, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Microsoft President Brad Smith has visited President Joe Biden's White House dozens of times, visitor records show, as the company attempts to influence the administration's artificial intelligence (AI) policy.

With major backer Microsoft Partner OpenAI's company spends millions on federal lobbying efforts to influence federal AI policy, and its executives have donated generously to Biden's re-election campaign. During this influence campaign, Smith visited the White House dozens of times. according to in the visitor log. (Related: AI giant run by big democracy donors reveals cutting-edge methods of online censorship)

Elizabeth Kelly has demonstrated a unique ability to find solutions that enable the immense potential of AI to benefit our nation, while ensuring that AI is safe, secure, and reliable. We look forward to supporting her and her team at the U.S. AI Safety Institute…

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) February 7, 2024

“Make no mistake about it: Microsoft is exploiting the administration's incompetence for its own benefit,” Jake Denton, a researcher at the Heritage Foundation's Technology Policy Center, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Despite the lack of real strategy or vision from the White House, Microsoft is willing to fill the void to shape policy to suit its own interests.”

Mr. Smith has visited Mr. Biden's White House 30 times, according to visitor records. Mr. Smith met with President Biden and other senior White House officials, including Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar, Presidential Advisor Steve Richetti, and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard.

Records show Smith met with Biden twice, including at a 20-person meeting in January 2022 and at a large rally in December 2022. Mr. Smith met with Mr. Richetti and another unnamed staff member in April 2022, and once in private with Mr. Brainard in 2022. April 2023. In May 2023, Smith met with Prabhakar and an anonymous official.The same month, Smith put out A five-point plan calling for new government regulations on AI development.

Records show Smith had two private meetings with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in February 2023, and between July 2021 and April 2023. He also participated in three small meetings with Deputy National Security Adviser Berger.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has visited the White House six times, according to visitor records.

Smith has visited the White House far more than Google's CEO did during former President Barack Obama's administration. Former Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt visited the White House 18 times between 2009 and 2015 as Google sought to influence technology policy under the Obama administration. according to To the Technology Transparency Project.

Compared to Microsoft's Smith, top representatives from other major AI companies have far fewer records on the White House visitor record during Biden's presidency.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai visited the White House just 10 times during Biden's presidency, according to visitor records. Likewise, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, whom he visited six times. Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy and Inflection CEO Mustafa Suleyman each visited three times. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg does not appear in the visitor log.

These companies, Microsoft and OpenAI, agreed to a “voluntary commitment” with the White House in July 2023 to “manage the risks” of AI. Among the risks to be managed under the “voluntary commitment” were “harmful prejudice and discrimination, and the protection of privacy.” ”

“By acting quickly, the White House initiative lays the foundation for ensuring the promise of AI is realized ahead of the risks. We welcome the president's leadership in rallying the technology industry to take concrete steps to make AI safer, more secure, and more beneficial to the public,” Smith said. I have written In a blog post published the same day.

“Power hates a vacuum, and Big Tech is always ready to step in and take the reins from tech-ignorant leaders,” Heritage’s Denton told DCNF.

Smith also said in 2023, just before Biden signs a sweeping executive order requiring “developers of the most powerful AI systems to share safety test results and other critical information with the U.S. government.” He made several entries into the White House archives in September and October. according to On the fact sheet.

“Today’s executive order is another important step in the governance of AI technology,” said Smith. I have written in a social media post celebrating the order. “This order builds on the White House's voluntary commitment to safe, secure, and trustworthy AI…AI promises to reduce costs and improve services for the federal government, and we are committed to working with U.S. authorities to We look forward to fully realizing the power and promise of this emerging technology. ”

“We need policies tailored to the next generation of AI pioneers, not laws designed by lobbyists to entrench the establishment,” Denton told DCNF.

Senior executives from Microsoft and Open AI have also made significant contributions to Biden's presidential campaign and the committees supporting it, according to data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

In August 2023, Smith donated $50,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee supporting the president's re-election campaign. according to In FEC filings. On the same day, Mr. Smith donated $3,300 to Mr. Biden's re-election campaign, the maximum amount for political donations.

Microsoft Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff Gave According to FEC filings, $100,000 will be donated to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020. Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and AI Group Gave According to FEC filings, $250,000 was donated to the Biden Victory Fund that year.

FEC submissions show Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott donated $6,600 to the Biden Victory Fund and $2,800 to the Biden campaign. Scott also hosted a fundraiser for Biden in June 2023. according to to Reuters.

Microsoft is pumping Increase investment in OpenAI, increasing investment from $1 billion in 2019 to $10 billion in 2023.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has visited the White House six times since January 24, 2023, the day after the companies' announcements. announced Their multi-billion dollar partnership, according to visitor records.

OpenAI's Altman donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Biden Victory Fund from 2021 to 2023. according to In FEC filings. During this time, Mr. Altman also donated several thousand yen to the Biden campaign.

Microsoft and its subsidiaries allocate nearly $10.5 million to federal lobbying in 2022, Politico report in july

More than a dozen former Microsoft employees and consultants ended up joining the Biden administration as senior or mid-level officials, according to Politico. This includes Mr. Sullivan, who advised Mr. Smith on “major policy developments” from 2017 until 2020, when he served on the Microsoft Advisory Board. according to Until financial information disclosure.

Microsoft is also participating AI partnership (PAI), a nonprofit coalition founded by Eric, Microsoft's chief scientific officer Horwitz. horwitz It's again~ Chair of PAI's Board of Directors. Microsoft and OpenAI are both partner of the Union.

In addition, Mr. Horwitz serves on Mr. Biden's Science and Technology Advisory Council. according to to his Microsoft career. The council is “the only advisory body from outside the federal government tasked with recommending science, technology, and innovation policy to the president and the White House.” according to To the White House.

OpenAI, the White House, and PAI did not respond to DCNF's requests for comment.

Microsoft declined to comment.

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