Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is urging the United States to move faster on artificial intelligence rather than slowing the technology with new regulations, arguing that innovation, not restriction, is the best way for America to maintain its global leadership.
"We should accelerate AI development, not restrict it," Zuckerberg said, as policymakers continue debating whether stronger guardrails are needed for increasingly powerful AI systems.
Zuckerberg went on to say he believes the conversation around artificial intelligence has become too focused on potential dangers and not enough on its benefits. "I think the discourse around AI isn't optimistic enough," Zuckerberg said in an interview accompanying an op ed essay in The Wall Street Journal.
"People are spending a lot of time talking about what could go wrong, and not enough time talking about all the ways this technology is going to help people."
His comments come as Washington weighs new rules for advanced AI systems amid concerns over national security, misinformation, job displacement and the growing concentration of power among a handful of technology companies.
Instead of placing additional restrictions on AI development, Zuckerberg argued that the United States should focus on building the infrastructure needed to compete globally.
"We should be investing in compute, in talent and in building the systems that will power the future," he said, arguing that America's competitive advantage has historically come from encouraging innovation rather than limiting it.
Zuckerberg also criticized proposals to block access to Chinese open-source AI models, suggesting such policies could ultimately weaken the United States instead of strengthening it.
"I don't think trying to ban open-source models from China is the right approach," he said, adding that the country should instead "build better systems ourselves." Zuckerberg also questioned whether restrictions on foreign open models would meaningfully improve U.S. competitiveness.
The Meta chief is promoting what he describes as a more optimistic vision of artificial intelligence, arguing that the technology should empower individuals rather than remain concentrated in the hands of a few companies.
"I want to put personal superintelligence in everyone's hands," Zuckerberg said, referring to Meta's long-term AI strategy. He argued that individuals, creators and small businesses should have access to advanced AI tools instead of relying solely on centralized services.
Zuckerberg also dismissed the notion that AI will simply eliminate jobs without creating new opportunities. "There are going to be a lot of new jobs created," he said, pointing to the rapid expansion of data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and software development as examples of industries already benefiting from AI investment.
He argued that history has shown technological revolutions tend to create new forms of employment even as they transform existing ones. His optimistic outlook contrasts with more cautious positions taken by leaders at companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, whose executives have repeatedly warned that increasingly capable AI systems could pose significant risks without appropriate safeguards.
Those concerns include cybersecurity threats, autonomous decision-making and the potential misuse of advanced models. Despite those warnings, Zuckerberg maintained that slowing American innovation would be a strategic mistake.
"If we slow ourselves down while everyone else keeps moving, that's not going to put us in a better position," he said, emphasizing that global competition in AI is accelerating.
Meta has backed that philosophy with significant investment.
The company is spending heavily on AI infrastructure, custom chips, large-scale data centers and recruiting top researchers as it competes with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI to develop next-generation models.
