Meta is throwing its resources behind a new super PAC in California. According to Politico, the group will support state-level political candidates who espouse tech-friendly policies, particularly those with a loose approach to regulating artificial intelligence. The budget behind the social media company's new super PAC, dubbed Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California, is reported to be in the tens of millions of dollars, but no exact figure has been disclosed.
California has made several efforts, with varying degrees of success, to enact protections against potentially harmful AI use cases. The state passed a law protecting the digital likenesses of actors in 2024, but has faced challenges to a bill that blocked election misinformation deepfakes and to one that more broadly sought protections against "critical harm" caused by AI.
This creation of the super PAC puts Meta into a prominent position to influence races in 2026, when California will have midterm elections and vote for a new governor. "Sacramento’s regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California’s technology leadership at risk," said Brian Rice, vice president of public policy at Meta. Politico reported that Rice and Meta policy executive Greg Maurer are likely to lead the political fundraiser.
Meta hasn't been shy about throwing money into politics to advance its business interests. According to OpenSecrets, the company has spent $13.7 million on lobbying to date this year. Its roughly $8 million lobbying spend in the first quarter of 2025 vastly outpaced that of other tech majors.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-launching-a-california-super-pac-193007814.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-launching-a-california-super-pac-193007814.html?src=rssLogin to add comment
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