Meta CEO Zuckerberg lobbies US senators on AI, seeks to muster influence

By Emily Birnbaum 

Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg went to the US Capitol Wednesday to lobby senators on artificial intelligence, seeking to muster his influence after standing with Donald Trump at his inauguration and nodding to the new Republican congressional majority’s social agenda. 

Zuckerberg met with senators one day after his personal charity announced it was ending diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. He shut down some of Meta’s diversity efforts days before Trump took office last month. Eliminating DEI initiatives has been a priority for the Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers.  

 

Meta has made AI a pillar of the company’s focus and investment. It is building several AI-powered products, including smartglasses and other headsets, and has earmarked as much as $65 billion in spending this year that will largely go toward AI-related investments. Having a voice in any potential AI regulation is important to Zuckerberg as the company competes globally on AI technology.

 

 

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone would only describe the CEO’s conversations in general terms and declined to identify which senators Zuckerberg met.

 

“He is on the Hill talking with members about issues including AI and American tech leadership,” Stone said.

 

Zuckerberg and Meta’s lobbyists have been urging lawmakers to push back against European Union regulations on large multinational tech companies. That includes the Digital Services Act, which punishes social media companies for hosting harmful speech and misinformation. 

 

Zuckerberg has derided the law as censorship, echoing a conservative talking point. In a video, he pledged to work with Trump to “push back on governments going after American companies and pushing to censor more.”  

 

Meta’s global policy chief, Joel Kaplan, last weekend told the Munich Security Conference that Meta is asking for the White House’s support as the company faces a regulatory crackdown in Europe. 

 

“When companies are treated differently in a way that is discriminatory against them, then that should be highlighted to that company’s home government. So I think we will do that with President Trump,” Joel Kaplan said during the conference on Feb. 16.