Zuckerberg Tells Trump He Opposes National AI Regulator Proposal
In an unannounced call during the week of August 17, President Trump spoke with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who voiced opposition to a proposed national AI regulatory body. The plan, backed by Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis and some White House officials, would create an independent agency modeled on FINRA to review advanced AI models before deployment. The proposal remains under internal White House discussion.
During the week of August 17, U. S. President Donald Trump and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a previously undisclosed phone call, initiated by Trump.
The proposal, championed by Nobel laureate and Google scientist Demis Hassabis and supported by some senior White House officials, would establish an independent body modeled on the U. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to review advanced AI models, testing their potential risks before large-scale deployment. White House officials first briefed Trump on the plan, then communicated with technology companies including Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
FINRA is an industry-led body that regulates the securities industry, reporting to the U. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and overseeing more than 3,000 financial firms. Hassabis proposed a similar institution in a July article and briefed White House officials in the summer of 2026.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment. A White House spokesperson said the Trump administration is committed to balancing innovation and safety in AI policy-making. In May 2026, tech investor and White House adviser David Sacks called Trump on the day an AI executive order was scheduled to be signed, successfully persuading him to delay it. The recent call did not eliminate the proposal for a new industry regulator, which remains under discussion within the White House.