By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 27, 2026 – A national investigation into the funding behind organizations that warn about artificial intelligence has an Alaska connection: The executive director of one of the groups identified by the Washington Examiner gave $70,000 to Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins’s campaign for governor.
The Washington Examiner reported that the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism and Model Evaluation and Threat Research, known as METR, have funding and personnel connections to people who also played roles in the rise of AI company Anthropic.
The report raises concerns about how those relationships are disclosed when the organizations contribute to public debate over AI risks and regulation, along with the millions they are spending to elect certain people to office.
The Alaska link is Emma Jane Abele. METR identifies Abele as its executive director, while The Alaska Story previously reported in July that she contributed a combined $70,000 to Kreiss-Tomkins.
The connection extends beyond Abele to six Anthropic employees who contributed a combined $372,000 to Kreiss-Tomkins between February and May. The Alaska Story identified gifts including $100,000 from Anthropic employee Drake Thomas and $70,000 from employee Jan Leike. Thomas, who grew up in Kenai, has said he introduced Kreiss-Tomkins to other people at Anthropic.
The Examiner traced ties between Tarbell and METR and figures including Anthropic early backers Dustin Moskovitz and Jaan Tallinn, as well as AI researcher Paul Christiano. Tarbell publicly lists Coefficient Giving – formerly called Open Philanthropy — as a major funder. Those institutional relationships explain why the groups’ so-called independence has is in question.
The contributions identified in Alaska came from individuals employed by Anthropic, METR and other AI-related organizations.
Kreiss-Tomkins has proposed a moratorium on new Alaska data centers until the Legislature adopts comprehensive regulations.
That position puts AI infrastructure policy squarely in the governor’s race at the same time that people working in the national AI safety field are making substantial personal contributions to his campaign. The shared policy interest and financial support are now well documented.
For Alaska voters, the Examiner report adds context to a wealthy donor network already visible in JKT’s race.
