Mark Zuckerberg voice concern over proposed FINRA-style AI watchdog in private call with Donald Trump

WASHINGTON: Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has expressed direct concerns regarding plans to create a national artificial intelligence regulator during a private telephone call with United States President Donald Trump, according to a news report by Politico.

The proposal, which found support from Nobel Prize-winning Google scientist Demis Hassabis and select senior administration figures, envisions an independent oversight entity modelled after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Under this framework, the envisioned group aims to examine advanced AI models and evaluate operational risks prior to widespread public release.

As per the news report, when Trump initiated the call with Zuckerberg during the week of August 17, the Meta chief executive communicated his opposition to the concept, a senior White House official familiar with the exchange confirmed.

Another individual briefed on the discussion noted that Zuckerberg did not seek a direct policy reversal from the president, but urged that any appointees chosen for such a regulatory entity align with Trump’s own light-touch regulatory stance toward technology.

The high-level conversation followed administrative briefings held in mid-August, during which officials presented the FINRA-style framework to Trump as well as leading artificial intelligence firms including Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

The concept behind the initiative initially gained traction through an essay published by Google’s Hassabis in July, wherein he advocated for an industry-backed standards organisation to counteract emerging cybersecurity dangers and systemic technical hazards. Hassabis subsequently presented these ideas directly to White House staff members during administrative sessions over the summer.

FINRA functions as a self-regulatory organisation overseeing domestic broker-dealers under the supervision of the Securities and Exchange Commission, though it generally exercises little involvement in vetting specific financial investment instruments before market entry. “The Trump Administration is committed to balancing innovation and security in AI policymaking,” the news report quoted a White House spokesperson.

Zuckerberg separately outlined his reservations regarding rigid state oversight of technological rollouts in an August essay, maintaining that close public-private coordination remains essential while cautioning against administrative delays. In the essay, Zuckerberg stated that any policy which slows down a model’s release, even by a month, would “add significant risk to American leadership” over China.

The telephone exchange highlights the recurring intervention of technology leaders in the administration’s policy trajectory, where direct appeals to Trump routinely alter or delay regulatory directives.

While White House officials previously encountered similar friction during earlier efforts to introduce a broader executive order on artificial intelligence, the proposal for an independent industry watchdog remains under active administrative review. (ANI)