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Advocacy group deploys AI-assisted letters to lobby California attorney general on Paramount merger

Neighbors for Strong Communities is using software to generate individual letters urging Rob Bonta to drop an antitrust challenge, amid criticism over corporate astroturfing.

Updated Sep 1, 2026 · 20:20 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • A nonprofit group called Neighbors for Strong Communities is using AI software from vendor Influent to draft customized advocacy letters urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to end his antitrust lawsuit against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
  • Paramount CEO David Ellison has threatened to move the studio out of California if the transaction is not completed by Oct. 1, when a $7 million-per-day fee to Warner Bros. investors begins.
  • Merger opponents have labeled the campaign an astroturf effort, while organizers maintain the letters reflect real participants and deny direct financial backing from Paramount.

Key facts

  • Neighbors for Strong Communities is using AI-assisted tools from vendor Influent to transform survey responses into customized letters sent to California Attorney General Rob Bonta opposing his antitrust suit against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.[Variety]
  • Paramount CEO David Ellison warned the studio will exit California if a resolution is not reached by Oct. 1, the date a $7 million daily ticking fee to Warner Bros. investors takes effect.[Variety]
  • Co-founder Tanner Kelly reported the group has engaged 2,000 individuals and generated 1,000 phone calls to Bonta's office, while asserting that AI is used only for written communications.[Variety]
  • The Committee for the First Amendment labeled Neighbors for Strong Communities an astroturf campaign, which Kelly denied, though he declined to disclose the group's financial contributors.[Variety]
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1736 in July, prohibiting lobbyist employers from utilizing fabricated comments to alter political outcomes.[Variety]

What remains uncertain

  • The identities of the donors funding Neighbors for Strong Communities remain undisclosed, and it is unverified whether the organization has received any indirect financial backing from Paramount.[Variety]
  • Whether Attorney General Rob Bonta will alter his antitrust lawsuit against the merger ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline is unknown.[Variety]

Sources