As calls for pacing artificial intelligence (AI) development gain traction, the heads of tech giants including Nvidia, Meta, and SpaceX have reportedly persuaded President Donald Trump to block the establishment of a related regulatory body.
According to the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 17th (local time), Nvidia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently conveyed their concerns regarding the creation of a regulatory body to President Trump, successfully derailing its formation.
They opposed the privately led AI regulatory body—which had been discussed within the AI industry following a proposal by Google Chief Scientist Demis Hassabis—by raising concerns that it could concentrate power among the three leading AI companies: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. It is also reported that they expressed apprehension over who would be selected as executives and members of the body.
Having held separate conversations with President Trump over recent weeks, they reportedly expressed their preference for the “light-touch regulation” currently maintained by the administration.
Opinions on AI regulation were also divided within the White House and the administration.
While White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross pushed for stronger AI oversight and guidelines, White House Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Chair David Sacks consistently advocated for a minimal regulation approach to President Trump, according to the WSJ.
Ultimately, President Trump gave weight to accelerating AI technology, posting on his social media platform Truth Social that “there is a sick conspiracy taking place regarding AI and Data Centers,” adding that “the only country that welcomes this is China.”
The U.S. AI industry remains sharply divided following a post by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei advocating for the need to slow down the pace of development. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google Chief Scientist Hassabis aligned with this view, whereas Huang and Zuckerberg opposed it.
