Here's a fun Washington parlor game: what do you say when the president calls to float an idea you really don't like? If you're Mark Zuckerberg, apparently you say, "I'm not a fan," and then you leave it at that.
According to a Politico report on Thursday, President Donald Trump called the Meta Platforms Inc. Meta (META) CEO during the week of Aug. 17 to discuss a proposed national artificial-intelligence regulator. Zuckerberg reportedly told Trump he opposed the plan, but he didn't ask the president to abandon it. Instead, he suggested that any appointees should reflect Trump's light-touch approach to AI.
The proposal in question, championed by Alphabet Inc.'s Alphabet (GOOGL) Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, would create an independent body modeled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA. The idea is that this watchdog would test advanced AI models for cybersecurity risks before they're deployed more widely.
Hassabis has been making the case that frontier AI systems need evolving safety benchmarks. He's found some powerful allies: Elon Musk and Microsoft Corp. Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella have both praised his framework. Musk called it "a thoughtful framework overall and certainly a good starting point for discussions."
Zuckerberg, however, is singing a different tune. In an August essay, he argued for government-industry collaboration that doesn't end up "restricting or delaying" advanced models. His warning is pretty stark: slowing U.S. AI releases "even by a month" could "add significant risk to American leadership" while foreign models race ahead.
The debate isn't happening in a vacuum. 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 decided to exclude open-weight models from that testing regime.
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. So the concerns about AI safety aren't purely hypothetical.
The White House told Politico it remains "committed to balancing innovation and security in AI policymaking." And Zuckerberg's intervention didn't kill the FINRA-style proposal; it's still under consideration.
MarketDash reached out to Meta for comment on the report but didn't get an immediate response.
Meanwhile, there's a second option on the table, favored by former AI adviser David Sacks. He's pushing for a more industry-led body modeled on the Motion Picture Association. Sacks has derided the idea of a government regulator as a "DMV for AI," arguing that voluntary standards could stave off heavier regulation.
This 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 can't address the problem.
For those keeping an eye on Meta's stock, market data indicates it has a Momentum score in the 11th percentile and a Growth score in the 78th percentile.
Price Action: Meta shares ended Thursday's regular session 3.01% higher at $610.68 and were trading 0.52% higher at $613.88 in after-hours trading.
