Tech Executives Lobby Trump to Reject AI Regulator Proposal

Three of the technology industry's most prominent executives-Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang-separately lobbied President Donald Trump in recent weeks to oppose a proposed industry-funded artificial intelligence regulator, according to people familiar with the discussions. Trump ultimately did not move forward with the plan, which was put forward by Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis and modeled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA.

The proposal, first floated in July, aimed to create an independent body to test frontier AI models before release, with representation from industry, government, and independent researchers. However, Zuckerberg, Musk, and Huang expressed concerns that such a structure could concentrate influence among a few leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google's DeepMind.

The decision highlights ongoing divisions within the White House over AI oversight. Officials such as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross have favored greater scrutiny of AI risks, while technology adviser David Sacks has advocated...