Silicon Valley is sharply increasing its political spending to influence how the United States regulates artificial intelligence. A new coalition of technology investors and founders—including Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Perplexity AI and angel investor Ron Conway—has pooled more than $100 million to create “Leading the Future,” a network of campaign-finance vehicles that will back pro-AI candidates in congressional and state races ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. One day after the venture-capital announcement, Meta said it will form its own California-focused super PAC, Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California, and pour tens of millions of dollars into state contests, including the 2026 governor’s race. The group will support candidates from either party who favor a light-touch approach to technology oversight, particularly for AI. “Sacramento’s regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress and put California’s technology leadership at risk,” Meta vice president of public policy Brian Rice said, adding that he and fellow policy executive Greg Maurer will serve as the PAC’s principal officers. California lawmakers have introduced more than 50 AI-related bills this year, covering issues from safety disclosures to consumer protection. The dual launches signal a broader effort by technology firms to shape rules that could affect a fast-growing sector central to their future revenue. Similar, high-value PAC strategies were used by companies such as Uber and Airbnb to win policy concessions in prior years, underscoring how intensely the industry is prepared to contest emerging AI legislation at both state and federal levels.