Obama: Democrats Must Make AI a 'Central Agenda'
Former President Barack Obama said Democrats need to make artificial intelligence one of their "central agendas" and "have a very clear plan" for addressing the technology's economic impact and safety risks, according to The New York Times.
Obama made the comments Thursday at a Democratic fundraising event, where he was interviewed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The NYT reports that Obama's office provided a partial transcript of the event, during which Jeffries asked how congressional Democrats should approach AI.
A 'Very Public Conversation'
Obama said that once Democrats regain the House majority, they need to "put together a framework for a very public conversation."
"This is something that is moving very fast in private hands, and if we don't get on top of it, I think [it] can be dangerous," Obama added. "If we do get on top of it, I do think it's beneficial. I genuinely think it's going to accelerate, for example, drug development in ways that can help us cure diseases."
In a statement, Jeffries said the former president "is correct that decisive action must be taken on artificial intelligence," adding that "Republicans have abdicated their responsibility to govern on behalf of the American people."
Obama as a 'Sounding Board' for AI Leaders
The NYT also reports that Obama has served as a "sounding board" for AI executives, having spoken with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
His remarks arrive amid mounting concern over AI safety—particularly after an AI researcher resigned from Anthropic, claiming that leading AI companies are "racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives."
Industry Responds: Amodei's 'Pacing the Frontier' Plan
On Saturday, Amodei outlined a broad approach to "pacing the frontier," which would give independent safety evaluators access to leading AI companies and their models, and establish "common safety standards" across the industry. In social media posts, Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to respond positively to the plan, with Altman saying OpenAI would also commit to "having independent evaluators with employee-like access."
Trump Weighs In: 'Whoever Wins AI Wins'
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, addressed AI safety concerns with reporters Sunday at an Irish golf event. Bloomberg reports that Trump boasted the United States is "the most sophisticated country in the world," adding that he wants "to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins." (Earlier this year, the Trump administration released a legislative framework for AI that would preempt state laws and shift the child safety burden to parents.)
"And we can put guardrails," Trump said. "We can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up."
via TechCrunch AI