Obama urges Democrats to make AI safety, regulation central agenda, calls for public framework on regulation

Former US President Barack Obama has urged Democrats to create a roadmap for AI, warning that the rapidly evolving technology could cause harm if governments fail to act. As concerns grow over AI's impact on jobs, the economy and public safety, it should be a “central agenda” item for the party, Obama said, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The remarks came during an interview with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a Democratic fundraising event on Thursday. A growing number of US lawmakers recently called for tougher rules on AI systems after dire warnings from two Anthropic researchers that rapid industry progress risks the extinction of the human race.

Quoting Obama, the NYT reported that Democrats should present a public framework outlining how AI should be developed and regulated.

Barack Obama calls for a public AI framework

Citing a partial transcript of remarks from Obama's office, the newspaper said he urged Democrats to take action if they regained the House in the midterm elections on 3 November. Obama said AI is advancing rapidly in the private sector and could pose risks without adequate oversight.

At the same time, he highlighted the technology's potential benefits, pointing to drug development as an area where AI could accelerate research and advance disease treatment.

Jeffries echoed Obama's concerns, saying decisive action on AI is needed. He also criticised Republicans for failing to address this issue.

AI safety debate intensifies

In addition, Obama has become an unofficial forum for leaders in artificial intelligence (AI). He met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the NYT reported.

His remarks come amid growing concerns about the safety of AI. An Anthropic researcher recently announced his departure from the firm and said that big AI companies are making great strides toward becoming self-improving systems, but there are dangers.

Since then, Amodei has suggested a larger scale of “pacing the frontier". His agenda will involve providing independent security experts with greater access to leading AI companies and models, and ensuring common safety standards across the industry, as TechCrunch reported.

It seemed Altman was on board with the concept, saying that OpenAI would also ensure that independent evaluators had employee-like access.

Donald Trump says US must stay ahead in AI

US President Donald Trump also commented on the rising concerns about the safety of AI. The US is going to have to stay ahead, Trump said on Sunday in Ireland, "Whoever wins AI wins,” Bloomberg reported.

Trump said guardrails could be introduced, but pushed back against what he described as excessive criticism of the technology. His administration had previously recommended an AI bill that would restrict states' authority and shift the burden of child safety onto parents.