Mark Zuckerberg told Donald Trump he opposed plans for a national AI regulator. The call took place the week of 17 August and had not been reported before. A senior White House official described it on condition of anonymity. The plan would create an independent body modelled on FINRA, the industry-run watchdog for US securities firms. It would review advanced AI models for risks before wide release. Demis Hassabis of Google proposed the idea in a July essay and briefed officials. Another person said Zuckerberg did not ask Trump to change position. He instead urged that any appointees reflect Trump's light-touch approach. The White House is now weighing two options. The second, backed by adviser David Sacks, is a looser body modelled on the Motion Picture Association film ratings system.
What changed
White House officials had previewed the FINRA-style AI regulator plan to Trump and to Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic in mid-August.
- FINRA oversees 3,000+ financial firms
- call held week of August 17
Sources