Obama urges Democrats to set a clear plan for AI safeguards

Former President Barack Obama said Democrats should make artificial intelligence a central agenda item and develop a clear plan to address the technology’s economic impact and safety risks.

Obama spoke at a Democratic fundraising event where House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked how congressional Democrats should approach AI. According to The New York Times, Obama’s office provided a partial transcript.

Obama said that if Democrats regain the House majority, they should create “a framework for a very public conversation.” He warned that AI is moving quickly in private hands and could be dangerous without oversight, while saying it could also bring benefits, including faster drug development that may help cure diseases.

Jeffries said Obama was correct that decisive action is needed on AI. Obama has also offered to serve as a sounding board for AI executives and has spoken with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Amodei has proposed “pacing the frontier” by giving independent safety evaluators access to leading companies and models and developing common safety standards. Altman said OpenAI would commit to independent evaluators with employee-like access. President Donald Trump has also discussed AI safety and said guardrails could be established.