Former President Barack Obama has urged Democrats to make artificial intelligence a central political agenda, calling on the party to develop a clear plan for addressing AI's economic impact and safety risks.
Speaking at a Democratic fundraising event interviewed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Obama said that once Democrats regain the House majority, they need to "put together a framework for a very public conversation" on AI. "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 said. "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."
The New York Times reports that Obama has offered himself as a "sounding board" to AI executives, speaking with both Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. His comments come amid growing concern about AI safety, following researcher Jacob Coxon's resignation from Anthropic over superintelligence concerns.
Jeffries echoed Obama's call, saying "decisive action must be taken on artificial intelligence" and accusing Republicans of having "abdicated their responsibility to govern." The bipartisan AI debate continues to intensify as the technology accelerates.
