Biden Advisor Used Special Law to Hire Staff Promoting AI Firm's Interests A former Biden White House tech advisor leveraged the Intergovernmental Personnel Act to bring in staff who advocated for policies beneficial to Anthropic, a major AI firm. The arrangement, involving staff with ties to a nonprofit funded by an Anthropic investor, has raised conflict of interest concerns. A key technology advisor to former President Joe Biden utilized a seldom-used federal law to recruit personnel who subsequently advocated for policies favorable to Anthropic, a prominent artificial intelligence company. Both the advisor and the staff they brought on board had connections to a nonprofit organization that receives funding from a significant investor in Anthropic, a situation that has been described by some as a conflict of interest. Jason Matheny, the founder of Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), held several high-level positions within the Biden White House from March 2021 to June 2022. During this period, documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act reveal that Matheny appointed Benjamin Buchanan, then a senior staff member at CSET, under the provisions of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA). Buchanan's role was to assist the administration in developing its artificial intelligence policies. The Intergovernmental Personnel Act is designed to enable the federal government to fill positions requiring specialized expertise or knowledge that are difficult to staff through conventional means. It facilitates the direct recruitment of individuals from universities and think tanks. Under these agreements, the organizations from which the government recruits typically continue to cover the salaries and benefits of the seconded staff. In this specific instance, Georgetown University, where Buchanan was leading CSET’s CyberAI project, continued to pay his salary and benefits, with the federal government reimbursing these costs monthly. Notably, Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of Facebook, is a substantial investor in Anthropic, having participated in the company's initial $124 million fundraising round in early 2021, coinciding with Matheny and Buchanan's entry into the Biden administration. Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of Facebook, is pictured outside his San Francisco office. One of Buchanan's significant contributions during his tenure at the White House was his involvement in the imposition of export controls on advanced chips destined for China. This policy was implemented with the aim of impeding Beijing's progress in artificial intelligence research and development. Following his departure from the White House, Buchanan authored a letter to the administration urging the continuation of these export controls, emphasizing their importance for national security. The Trump administration had previously rescinded similar chip export restrictions. This pattern of individuals with ties to technological interests entering government service and promoting policies aligned with those interests has drawn criticism. Senator Tom Cotton, in a letter to the Department of Justice, expressed concerns that the Biden administration's use of the IPA to recruit staff for AI policy formulation raises questions about whether these influential AI fellows are shaping federal policy for the benefit of their organizations’ funders rather than the American public. He argued that large AI technology companies are effectively influencing the Biden administration’s AI policy from within, promoting their own anti-competitive strategies to mold the future of the AI industry. Senator Cotton specifically mentioned Moskovitz in his correspondence. However, proponents of the IPA argue that the mere association of Buchanan and Matheny with CSET during their government service does not inherently imply that the think tank or its donors dictated their views or objectives. It is often the case that donors support causes or individuals with whom they already share common ground, which, according to some observers, can amplify the influence of wealthy donors in policy discussions. Buchanan, in a statement, asserted, “For my entire career, I have worked to ensure that the United States — not China — leads the world in AI and that the technology is safe, secure, and trustworthy. It was an honor to take a leave from my professorship at Georgetown University to advance this mission in the White House. I scrupulously complied with all legal and ethics rules and answered only to President Biden and the senior White House staff. Congress passed the Intergovernmental Personnel Act to bring technical academics into government to work on pressing issues.” He further noted that both President Biden and President Trump have utilized this authority to hire AI experts, and he was proud to be among them. The article also briefly mentions congressional deliberations regarding compelled testimony from ActBlue leadership and provides a state-by-state breakdown of ICE arrests