Big tech companies and leading Silicon Valley investors are pouring millions of dollars into political groups ahead of the next US midterm elections in a bid to shape future artificial intelligence regulation.
Their goal is simple: influence how lawmakers think about regulating artificial intelligence. Business Insider reports that companies, executives and venture capital firms tied to the AI industry are backing a growing number of super PACs and outside political groups that support candidates seen as friendly to AI.
So far, these groups have spent more than $65 million, with tens of millions more still sitting unused for future campaigns. The real total may stay unclear for a while, since some of these groups work as “dark money” organisations that don’t have to regularly reveal who funds them or how the money is spent.
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Why this matters right now
The timing is important for the AI industry. The Trump administration has generally supported AI growth, but tensions have shown up after the White House slowed down the release of some advanced AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI.
AI firms are also watching closely to see if the US places restrictions on powerful open-weight Chinese AI models, such as Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3. At the same time, several US states are debating tougher AI rules, and some are even considering limits on new data centres.
Who is behind the funding
One of the biggest players is Leading the Future, a network of pro-AI super PACs that says it has raised $100 million to back candidates who support AI innovation. According to Business Insider, its list of backers includes venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife Anna Brockman, SV Angel founder Ron Conway, 8VC founder Joe Lonsdale, and AI search company Perplexity. The group hasn’t said how much each backer gave, since current campaign finance laws don’t require that level of detail.
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Leading the Future says it hopes to become the AI industry’s “political and policy center of gravity.” Its plan is to support candidates who favour AI-friendly policies and push back against those who don’t.
One PAC linked to the network, Think Big, has already spent more than $118,000 campaigning against New York Assemblyman Alex Bores during the Democratic primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District. Another linked PAC, American Mission, has spent over $243,000 supporting Republican candidate Chris Gober in Texas’s 10th Congressional District.
Meta joins the political fight
Meta has also stepped into politics by setting up two new political action committees, mostly aimed at state level elections.
The first, called Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California, will back candidates in California who support AI-friendly policies.
This matters because Meta is headquartered in California, a state where lawmakers have already debated several AI-related bills.
A Meta spokesperson told Business Insider, “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.” The spokesperson also warned that too much regulation could slow down innovation and weaken the state’s position as a tech leader.
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Meta’s second PAC, the American Technology Excellence Project, will support candidates in other states.
Brian Rice, Meta’s vice president of public policy, said the company wants lawmakers to protect American innovation as more states consider new AI regulations. He said, “Amid a growing patchwork of inconsistent regulations that threaten homegrown innovation and investments in AI, state lawmakers are uniquely positioned to ensure that America remains a global technology leader.”
So far, neither of Meta’s PACs has spent large sums of money. But experts expect political spending in this space to grow as the midterm elections get closer.
FAQs
1: What is Leading the Future?
It is a network of pro-AI super PACs that says it has raised $100 million to support political candidates who favour AI innovation.
2: Who supports Leading the Future?
Backers include venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife Anna Brockman, SV Angel founder Ron Conway, 8VC founder Joe Lonsdale, and AI search company Perplexity.
