Obama urges Democrats to craft a clear plan on AI safeguards
Former President Barack Obama has called on Democrats to make artificial intelligence a central agenda item and develop a clear plan addressing its economic and safety risks. His comments come amid growing concern over AI safety, including a researcher's resignation from Anthropic warning of a reckless race toward superintelligence.
Former President Barack Obama recently said Democrats need to make artificial intelligence one of their central priorities and develop a clear plan to address concerns about the technology's economic impact and safety, according to The New York Times.
Obama made the remarks on Thursday at a Democratic fundraising event, where he was interviewed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Asked how congressional Democrats should approach AI, Obama said that once Democrats regain the House majority, they need to put together a framework for a broad public conversation on the issue.
Obama noted that AI is moving very fast in private hands, and warned that failing to get on top of it could be dangerous. However, he said that if handled properly, the technology could be beneficial, citing its potential to accelerate drug development and help cure diseases.
In a statement, Jeffries agreed that decisive action must be taken on AI, and said Republicans have abdicated their responsibility to govern on behalf of the American people.
According to the NYT, Obama has offered himself as a sounding board to AI executives and has spoken with both Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. His comments arrive amid rising concern about AI safety, particularly after an AI researcher resigned from Anthropic, claiming leading AI companies are racing toward self-improving superintelligence while gambling with people's lives.
On Saturday, Amodei outlined a broader approach to managing AI development, which would include giving independent safety evaluators access to leading AI companies and their models, along with developing common safety standards across the industry. Altman and Elon Musk responded positively on social media, with Altman confirming that OpenAI would also commit to independent evaluators with employee-like access.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump discussed AI safety with reporters at a golf event in Ireland on Sunday, saying the United States is the most sophisticated country in the world and that he wants to keep it that way, since whoever wins the AI race wins overall.
