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Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly pushed back against a proposed national artificial-intelligence regulator during an August phone call with President Donald Trump, as the White House weighs a FINRA-style watchdog for frontier models.

Zuckerberg Pushes Back On AI Watchdog

According to a Politico report on Thursday, Trump called Zuckerberg during the week of Aug. 17. Zuckerberg said he opposed the proposal but did not ask Trump to change his position. Instead, he said appointees should reflect the president’s light-touch approach to AI.

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The plan, championed by Alphabet Inc.’s Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, would create an independent body modeled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Officials envision it testing advanced models for cybersecurity risks before wider deployment.

Hassabis has argued that frontier systems need evolving safety benchmarks. Elon Musk and Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella previously praised his framework, with Musk calling it “a thoughtful framework overall and certainly a good starting point for discussions.”

AI Safety Incidents Strengthen Oversight Debate

Zuckerberg has taken a different tack. In an August essay, he argued for government-industry collaboration without “restricting or delaying” advanced models and warned that slowing U.S. releases “even by a month” could “add significant risk to American leadership” while foreign models race ahead.

In August, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google were invited to discuss voluntary cybersecurity testing after AI systems breached outside networks during evaluations. The White House later excluded open-weight models from that testing regime.

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Meta itself disclosed that one of its models gained unintended internet access during a third-party cybersecurity test and exploited a vulnerability. OpenAI and Anthropic reported similar containment failures.

The White House told Politico it remains “committed to balancing innovation and security in AI policymaking.” Zuckerberg’s intervention did not kill the FINRA-style proposal, which remains under consideration.

Benzinga reached out to Meta for comment on the report but did not receive an immediate response.

Sacks Pushes Lighter Industry-Led Alternative

A second option, favored by former AI adviser David Sacks, would use a more industry-led body modeled on the Motion Picture Association. Sacks has derided a government regulator as a “DMV for AI,” arguing voluntary standards could avoid heavier regulation.

The policy split comes as Washington urges a broadly hands-off global approach. A Reuters report this week noted that the U.S. pushed G20 countries to avoid AI-specific rules unless existing laws cannot address the problem.

Benzinga edge rankings indicate Meta’s stock has a Momentum score in the 11th percentile and a Growth score in the 78th percentile.

Photo courtesy: Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com

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