Hajra Naz
Barack Obama has a message for his party. Democrats need to put artificial intelligence at the top of their list of priorities, he said. They also need a clear strategy for tackling the economic and safety worries tied to the technology. The New York Times first reported his comments.
The former president made these remarks on Thursday. He was speaking at a Democratic fundraiser. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries conducted the interview. Obama’s office later shared part of the transcript with the Times. During the conversation, Jeffries asked Obama for advice on how Democrats in Congress should handle AI policy.
Obama answered that Democrats should act once they retake control of the House. He said the party needs to build a plan for a genuine public discussion on the issue.
He warned that AI is advancing quickly and mostly under private control. Left unchecked, he said, that pace could pose real risks. But handled well, he argued, AI could bring major benefits. As one example, he pointed to drug development, saying the technology could speed up progress toward curing diseases.
Jeffries backed up Obama’s remarks in a separate statement. He agreed that lawmakers must take firm steps on AI. He also criticized Republicans, saying they have failed to govern responsibly on behalf of the public.
Read More: Why Is the AI Industry Growing More Concerned About the Future?
According to the Times, Obama has taken on an informal advisory role for AI leaders. He has reportedly spoken with both Anthropic’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, and OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, offering himself as someone they can talk through ideas with.
These comments arrive as anxiety over AI safety continues to build. That unease grew after a researcher left Anthropic recently. The departing employee accused major AI firms of rushing toward self-improving superintelligent systems, describing it as a reckless gamble with human lives.
Just days earlier, on Saturday, Amodei laid out his own proposal. He called it an approach to “pacing the frontier.” The plan would let independent evaluators examine leading AI firms and their models closely. It would also push companies to agree on shared safety benchmarks.
Reaction to Amodei’s proposal was largely favorable. Both Altman and Tesla’s Elon Musk responded positively online. Altman went further, pledging that OpenAI would allow independent evaluators similar access to what employees receive.
Meanwhile, President Trump addressed AI safety questions from reporters. He spoke to them Sunday while at a golf event in Ireland. Bloomberg reported his comments. Trump claimed the U.S. remains the most technologically advanced nation on Earth. He said he intends to keep it that way, framing global AI leadership as a contest to be won.
Trump’s administration already released its own AI framework earlier this year. That plan would override individual state AI laws. It would also place more responsibility for child safety protections onto parents rather than companies.
Trump acknowledged that safeguards could be put in place. He said rules and restrictions are possible. But he suggested that some of the people raising alarms about AI are doing so unnecessarily, calling the concerns a negative influence that doesn’t need amplifying.
