Economist Alex Tabarrok argues that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s calls for AI safety regulation do not amount to regulatory capture, despite critics’ claims. He contends that genuine regulatory capture typically occurs quietly once public attention has faded, whereas AI regulation is unfolding under intense public and political scrutiny. Tabarrok notes that the regulation Amodei favors would reduce AI industry profits, which he says is inconsistent with a self-interested capture strategy and instead supports the view that Amodei sincerely believes the risks are real.
