WHAT’S AT STAKE TODAY ⚡
- Meta to spend tens of millions on pro-AI super PAC 💰
- Google Translate takes on Duolingo with new language learning tools 🌍
- Google Gemini's AI image model gets a 'bananas' upgrade 🍌
- Why the US government is not the savior Intel needs 🏛️
- After falling behind in generative AI, IBM and AMD look to quantum for an edge ⚛️
- Libby's library app adds an AI discovery feature, and not everyone is thrilled 📚
- Anthropic launches a Claude AI agent that lives in Chrome 🤖
- Microsoft headquarters go into lockdown after activists take over Brad Smith's office 🔒
Meta launches super PAC to support pro-AI, anti-regulation California candidates.
Meta to spend tens of millions on pro-AI super PAC
Meta is taking its political influence to the next level by launching a super PAC aimed at supporting California candidates who favor minimal AI regulation. The tech giant plans to invest tens of millions of dollars into this new political action committee, dubbed "Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California," according to recent reports.
This move positions Meta alongside other Silicon Valley powerhouses in a growing political battle over AI governance. The timing is particularly significant as venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman have already committed $100 million to establish their own pro-AI super PAC, signaling a coordinated industry effort to shape regulatory policy.
Brian Rice, Meta's Vice President of public policy who will head the new PAC, has been vocal about his concerns regarding California's regulatory landscape. He argues that the state's current approach "could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California's technology leadership at risk." This rhetoric reflects broader industry anxieties about potential government oversight hampering technological advancement and competitive positioning.
Meta's political activism isn't entirely new. The company has already demonstrated its willingness to engage in legislative battles through targeted lobbying efforts. Earlier this year, Meta's lobbying machine focused its attention on opposing state senator Scott Wiener's SB-53 bill, which would have imposed significant transparency requirements on AI companies. The proposed legislation would have mandated that AI firms publicly disclose their safety and security protocols while requiring detailed incident reports whenever safety breaches occurred.
The company's track record of successful political intervention extends beyond AI-specific legislation. In a notable victory last year, Meta played a crucial role in defeating the Kids Online Safety Act, a bipartisan bill that had garnered widespread support and was widely anticipated to pass through Congress. This success likely emboldened the company to expand its political operations.
Meta's current political strategy has involved making strategic donations to various down-ballot candidates across party lines, demonstrating a pragmatic approach to building political influence regardless of partisan affiliation. However, the creation of this new super PAC represents a significant escalation in the company's political ambitions, signaling an intention to influence major statewide elections rather than just individual races or specific legislative battles.
The timing of this announcement is particularly strategic, as California prepares for its next gubernatorial election in 2026. Given California's outsized influence on both technology policy and national political trends, the outcome of this race could have far-reaching implications for AI regulation across the United States. Meta's early investment in building political infrastructure suggests the company recognizes the stakes involved in these upcoming electoral contests.
The broader context of this move reveals a tech industry increasingly concerned about regulatory overreach. As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and pervasive, lawmakers at both state and federal levels have proposed various oversight mechanisms. However, tech companies argue that premature or overly restrictive regulations could handicap American innovation and allow international competitors, particularly China, to gain technological advantages.
Meta's super PAC strategy reflects a calculated bet that supporting candidates with "light-touch" regulatory philosophies will create a more favorable business environment. This approach prioritizes market-driven solutions over government mandates, arguing that industry self-regulation can address safety and ethical concerns more effectively than legislative requirements.
The establishment of competing super PACs focused specifically on AI policy represents a new phase in the intersection of technology and politics. As AI capabilities continue advancing rapidly, the political battles over how to govern these technologies are likely to intensify, making California a crucial battleground for determining the future of AI regulation in America.
For Meta, this super PAC represents both a defensive measure against potentially restrictive regulations and an offensive strategy to shape the political landscape in ways that support continued technological innovation and business growth.
Google Translate adds AI-powered language practice and live conversation features.
Google Translate takes on Duolingo with new language learning tools
Google Translate is launching AI-powered features to enhance language learning and real-time communication. The new practice feature offers personalized listening and speaking exercises for beginners and advanced learners, directly competing with Duolingo. Available for English-Spanish/French and reverse language pairs, it tracks daily progress and adapts to user skill levels. Additionally, Google introduced live conversation capabilities supporting over 70 languages with audio translations and transcripts. The feature recognizes pauses, accents, and works in noisy environments using advanced voice recognition. Both features leverage Gemini AI models and are rolling out to Android/iOS users in the U.S., India, and Mexico.
⚡ More AI Bites
- 🖼️🤖 Google Gemini's AI image model gets a bananas upgrade. Picture perfect AI just got tastier!
- 🏛️💔 Why the U.S. government is not the savior Intel needs. Uncle Sam can't save every chip!
- ⚛️🔄 After falling behind in generative AI, IBM and AMD look to quantum for an edge. Computing giants quantum leap forward!
- 📚😤 Libby's library app adds an AI discovery feature, and not everyone is thrilled. Book lovers divided on robot recommendations!
- 🌐🤖 Anthropic launches a Claude AI agent that lives in Chrome. Browser-based AI assistant moves in!
- 🏢🔒 Microsoft headquarters go into lockdown after activists take over Brad Smith's office. Redmond campus sees executive suite takeover!
🎙️ PODCAST SERIES:
Can Schools Survive AI?
This week, I sat down with Dr. José Fernández from the Miami Dade College AI Center to explore how AI is transforming education.
We talked about how students today can access world-class AI training with almost zero student loan debt — making innovation more accessible than ever.
👉 Watch the episode here⚡ Trends for the Future
How one AI startup is helping rice farmers battle climate change
Startup Mitti Labs uses partnerships to scale methane-reducing rice farming technology.
Fixing climate change presents enormous challenges, particularly for carbon removal developers like Mitti Labs. The New York-based startup has developed innovative technology to measure methane emissions from rice paddies while training farmers in climate-friendly practices. Despite being the type of high-touch endeavor that venture capitalists typically avoid, Mitti has successfully raised funding through strategic partnerships.
The company has recently partnered with The Nature Conservancy to promote regenerative, no-burn agriculture practices. Through this collaboration, Mitti uses AI-powered models to measure, report, and verify the work done by the nonprofit's ground teams in India, where they help farmers implement various climate-friendly practices. Most project operations are conducted by locals from the villages where these initiatives are being implemented.
While Mitti currently focuses on reducing methane emissions from rice farming, the company is expanding its software offerings to third parties. They can now measure Scope 3 emissions for other project developers or corporations working with rice farmers, essentially offering a SaaS solution for existing ground-based projects.
Methane reduction projects generate carbon credits that Mitti tracks through its software. The company takes a percentage of credit sales and distributes the remainder to farmers and communities, typically improving farmers' bottom lines by about 15 percent. For smallholder farmers operating on thin profit margins, this additional revenue proves meaningful.
Mitti's software analyzes various signals from rice farms to determine methane emissions throughout growing seasons. Rice farming creates unique challenges because fields remain flooded most of the year, creating oxygen-free soil conditions that foster methane-producing microbes. Methane is particularly problematic as a greenhouse gas, warming the planet 82 times more than equivalent carbon dioxide amounts over 20 years. Rice farming contributes approximately 10-12 percent of total human-caused methane emissions.
The company primarily relies on satellite imagery and radar data, which can penetrate clouds, plants, water, and soil to monitor underground microbial activity. This information feeds into AI models trained on satellite data and extensive field studies. Since smallholder farms in India average just one hectare, physical monitoring equipment would be cost-prohibitive. Remote sensing keeps verification costs reasonable while partnerships help bring climate-friendly practices to millions of farmers across Asia's rice-growing regions.
⚡ You’re Smart. Strategic. Intentional. So Let’s Be Real:
Where Are You Holding Back— On Purpose?
Every smart operator has something they’re intentionally avoiding.
Not because they’re lazy — but because it’s risky, unknown, or just... a bit *uncomfortable*.
So what’s that thing for you?
That one decision, move, or experiment you know would push you forward — but you’ve been choosing not to do it.
Tell us — and we’ll share a tactical POV or tool to help you rethink it.
No fluff. Just momentum.
AI represents the dawn of a new era where human potential knows no bounds, giving us the power to create solutions that seemed impossible just yesterday.
Indra Nooyi is the former CEO of PepsiCo who transformed the company's focus toward healthier products and sustainable business practices while leading one of the world's largest food and beverage corporations. As one of the most prominent female executives globally, she has consistently advocated for long-term thinking and stakeholder capitalism, and continues to champion using technology and AI to address global challenges including nutrition, sustainability, and economic development.
⚡ The AI Efficiency Sprint ⚡
7 Days to Speed Up Your Business
Imagine cutting hours of work into minutes. Over 7 action-packed days, you’ll complete short, simple AI-powered tasks that transform slow, manual processes into lightning-fast systems.
Each day unlocks a new before vs. after moment — showing exactly how AI can make your business run 10x faster.
✨ It’s part tutorial, part challenge, part community bragging rights.
- Educate yourself – Discover real business use cases that show how AI can save you hours and open new growth opportunities.
- Implement daily – Spend just 2 hours per day completing simple AI-powered tasks. Everything is prepared for you — step by step — so you can immediately apply it and crush your goals.
- Be part of an exclusive community – Learn, share, and grow inside a supportive network where we help each other master AI and enhance our skills.
🚀 This is the first-ever sprint, launching at the end of September. Spots are limited.
👉 Sign up now to reserve your spot🎬 How to Use AI Agents to Build High-Converting Video Ads
Build once. Scale everywhere. In just minutes.
What if: Instead of spending weeks scripting, editing, and testing ads… you could build 10 variations of a high-converting video in 15 minutes — with agents handling the voiceover, visuals, call-to-action, and even the hook testing?
That’s exactly what we’ll show you this week — live.
Why This Changes Everything for Founders 🧠
- 🎥 Fast-Track Ad Creation: From idea to launch-ready video in under an hour — no team needed.
- 🔁 Test Like a Pro: Run A/B tests on 10 hooks, CTAs, or visuals — while you sleep.
- 💰 Better ROAS, Less Guessing: Let agents learn what your audience *actually* responds to.
- 📦 Works for Any Product: Digital or physical — agents adapt to your niche & brand voice.
📅 Join the Live Session w code Supercharged
We’ll walk you step-by-step through building your own ad-generating agent — no code needed.
👉 Click here to save your seat for the webinar
You’ll leave with a working prototype, free templates, and 5x more speed in your next ad campaign.
🎁 Bonus for Attendees:
- ✅ AI Agent Template for Ad Generation
- ✅ "Top 10 Hooks That Convert" Prompt Pack
- ✅ Entry to win a Free AI Strategy Audit
Episode 1: AI Education Without Limits
I sat down with Dr. José Fernández from the Miami Dade College AI Center to explore how AI is transforming education.
We discussed how students today can access world-class AI training with almost zero student loan debt — making innovation more accessible than ever.
Episode 2: What if your story were your sales strategy?
I sat down with Maury Rogow, a Hollywood producer and branding mastermind behind $2.5B in brand growth.
We talked about why the brands that feel effortless aren’t the loudest — they’re just the most aligned.
🌡️ Use the Satisfaction Thermometer to show us how much you enjoyed The Supercharged today ;)
The Supercharged is aiming to be the world's #1 AI business magazine and is on a mission to empower 1,000,000 entrepreneurs worldwide by 2025, guiding them through the transition into the AI-driven creative age. We're dedicated to breaking down complex technologies, sharing actionable insights, and fostering a community that thrives on innovation, to become the ultimate resource for businesses navigating the AI revolution.
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