In late August this year, two super political action committees (PACs) supporting artificial intelligence (AI) emerged in the United States. One was more traditional, announcing through an elaborate press conference, funded by multiple major industry participants, and planning to invest over $100 million to support candidates who back AI development.

On the other hand, Meta took an unusual path. The company quietly established a super PAC called "Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California," which will allow Meta to use its own money for political advertising to support its interests in the AI field and focus solely on its own interests.

Meta, Metaverse, Facebook

Since the U.S. Supreme Court's "Citizens United" ruling in 2010, businesses and wealthy individuals have flooded into super PACs, investing billions of dollars. These political action committees can accept unlimited corporate funds for advertisements, advocacy, and voter mobilization activities, with the only requirement being that they cannot coordinate directly with candidates or campaigns, nor can they make direct donations. However, despite businesses and individual billionaires donating to super PACs, campaign finance experts told The Verge that it is rare for a company to establish its own super PAC completely controlled by one person, as Meta has done.

Due to Meta's unique corporate structure, Mark Zuckerberg has essentially become the controller of his own personal super PAC, using Meta's funds to protect his priorities in the core of the technology industry and potentially counter the interests of his competitors.

This newly established super PAC marks the growing influence of businesses in the political arena. Meta's move not only shows its ambitions in the AI industry but also reflects its determination to seek more support at the policy level. It will be worth watching whether Meta can successfully achieve its goals through this means in the upcoming elections.

Key Points:

1. 🏛️ Meta has established its own super PAC, focusing on protecting its interests in the AI field.

2. 💰 Super PACs can accept unlimited corporate funds, but cannot coordinate directly with candidates.

3. ⚖️ Zuckerberg has gained complete control over this PAC due to Meta's unique structure, showing the strong influence of businesses in politics.