Meta will launch a new multimillion-dollar California Super PAC to support state political candidates who support loose regulations on artificial intelligence and technology.
The new Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California PAC, Politico reported, will begin with an initial investment of tens of millions of dollars from Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram parent empire. Meta’s Public Policy Vice Presidents Greg Maurer and Brian Rice will serve as the principal officers of the new Meta California PAC.
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“As home to many of the world’s leading AI companies, California’s innovation economy has an outsized impact on America’s economic growth, job creation, and global competitiveness. But Sacramento’s regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California’s technology leadership at risk,” Rice said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“This is why we are launching a California super-PAC — Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California — dedicated to backing candidates regardless of party who recognize California’s vital role in AI development and embrace policies that will keep the state at the forefront of the global tech ecosystem,” he added.
The nonpartisan super PAC will focus on backing candidates who support Meta’s policy priorities, such as promoting and defending U.S. technology companies globally and advocating AI progress, according to a Meta spokesperson. Meta first launched Meta AI, the company’s AI assistant, which will be featured on its other apps like Instagram, in the United States in 2023.
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The political action committee’s announcement follows several state bills aimed at regulating AI in California, the home of Silicon Valley. The state legislature has considered over 50 AI-related bills this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Washington Examiner previously reported that California has enacted more AI laws than any other state in the nation, with 42 between 2015 and 2024.
Meta California PAC follows another recent announcement of an AI policy-focused super PAC called Leading the Future. Led by tech giants such as Greg Brockman, the president of OpenAI, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, the PAC was founded in August and is already sitting at over $100 million, according to the Washington Post.