Mark Zuckerberg Lobbies US Senators on AI, Seeking to Gain Influence

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., went to the US Capitol on Wednesday to lobby senators on artificial intelligence, hoping to exert his influence after attending Donald Trump's inauguration and nodding to the new Republican congressional majority's social agenda.

Zuckerberg met with senators one day after announcing that his personal charity would discontinue diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. He halted some of Meta's diversity initiatives days before Trump took office last month. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers have prioritized the elimination of DEI initiatives.

Meta has prioritized and invested heavily in artificial intelligence. It is developing several AI-powered products, including smartglasses and other headsets, and has set aside up to $65 billion in spending this year, primarily for AI-related investments. Having a say in any potential AI regulation is important to Zuckerberg because the company competes globally on AI technology.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone would only describe the CEO's conversations in broad strokes and declined to reveal which senators Zuckerberg met.

"He is on the Hill talking with members about issues including AI and American tech leadership," says Stone.

Zuckerberg and Meta's lobbyists have urged lawmakers to oppose European Union regulations on large multinational tech companies. This includes the Digital Services Act, which penalizes social media companies that host harmful speech and misinformation.

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

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

"When companies are treated differently in a discriminatory manner, this should be reported to the company's home government. So I believe we will do that with President Trump," Joel Kaplan said during the Feb. 16 conference.