Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg is looking to get closer to Donald Trump

In addition to Elon Musk, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg is also vying for political clout. Clearly, the key to the development of artificial intelligence is power.

Alongside his rival Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg is also trying to exert political influence over the administration of future US President Donald Trump. The head of Facebook parent company Meta wants to be “actively” involved in shaping technology policy, company spokesman Nick Clegg said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“Mark is eager to play an active role in the debate that any administration must maintain America's leadership in technology.” This is mainly reflected in the central role of artificial intelligence (AI) in this area.

According to media reports, Zuckerberg and the US president-elect had dinner at Trump's luxurious Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last week. “Mark Zuckerberg has been very clear about his desire to support and be a part of this change that we're seeing across America,” Trump's top deputy Stephen Miller told Fox News afterward.

Donald Trump meets Mark Zuckerberg.Image: trapezoid

Zuckerberg relaxes platform moderation rules

Zuckerberg has publicly feuded with Trump in the past, but has recently relaxed his previous stance of rigorous moderation of content on his platform. “We know there are still disproportionately high error rates in enforcing our guidance, which hinders the free speech we want to achieve,” communications director Clegg told a news conference.

Mark Zuckerberg also signaled an easing of the ban on Donald Trump on Instagram and Facebook ahead of the election. Critics saw this as a move against the former president, who has accused Zuckerberg of censoring conservative voices.

The power struggle over artificial intelligence technology – Meta wants to build a nuclear reactor

Beyond that, Meta is currently interested in expanding its AI efforts in nuclear power and, according to its own information, is looking for developers to build its own nuclear power plants in the future. The company announced on Tuesday (local time) that it plans to build new nuclear power plants of 1 to 4 gigawatts in the United States starting in the early 2030s. “At Meta, we believe nuclear energy will play a central role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable and diverse grid,” the company continued.

Meta is seeking developers with expertise in community engagement, nuclear power development and licensing and will consider small modular reactors or large nuclear reactors. Compared with renewable energy projects such as solar and wind, nuclear energy is more capital intensive, takes longer to develop, and is subject to more regulatory requirements.

Goldman Sachs estimates that U.S. data center energy consumption will roughly triple between 2023 and 2030, requiring about 47 gigawatts of new generation capacity. But nuclear reactors will struggle to meet growing power demand quickly as companies face overburdened U.S. nuclear regulators, potential obstacles to uranium fuel supplies and local opposition.

Elon Musk's company xAI is Meta's biggest rival.Image: trapezoid

Meta is heavily involved in artificial intelligence development and competes with the likes of Elon Musk's company xAI. Tesla boss Musk has also feuded with Zuckerberg on other fronts. Last year, he challenged him to an MMA (mixed martial arts) cage fight, but that event has yet to take place. Musk has secured his political influence over the US government: In the future, he will lead a commission to reduce bureaucracy.

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol lifted martial law in the early hours of Wednesday morning (local time) after a cabinet meeting.