“If I were running for president next year, this would be one of my central agendas, and I would have a very clear plan, and I would talk about this, and I would say, ‘Here’s our plan for safety, here’s our plan for making sure our kids are not corrupted by this.’ ... I would be thinking about the economic impacts in very concrete ways and understanding what does it mean if there’s going to be job displacement,” Obama said, according to remarks provided by his office.
He also encouraged Jeffries to organize a broader discussion around AI policy if Democrats regain control of the House. “Once you are speaker, I would strongly urge that the Democrats put together a framework for a very public conversation, and you can break it out into three or four or five issues and lay the foundation for a broad public conversation,” Obama said.
His comments focused on balancing the potential benefits of AI with concerns about how quickly the technology is advancing under private companies. Obama said AI could contribute to areas including disease treatment and clean energy, while warning that failing to establish safeguards could create risks.
“This is something that is moving very fast in private hands, and if we don’t get on top of it, I think can be dangerous. If we do get on top of it, I do think it’s beneficial,” Obama said. “We don’t want to shut off those opportunities, but we have to understand that this is a tool.”
The remarks come as AI safety concerns have received renewed attention from researchers and executives. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently argued that AI development is moving faster than existing safeguards, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk also expressed support for greater attention to the risks surrounding advanced systems.
Researchers have added to those warnings. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon recently left the company while raising concerns about the potential consequences of rapidly advancing AI without international coordination.
That debate has also reached Congress. Democrats called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to convene lawmakers for an emergency session focused on AI. Johnson said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that regulation was important but cautioned against moving too quickly while the technology and possible responses remain unsettled.
Johnson said he would bring major AI providers together to discuss the issue.
President Donald Trump has framed the question differently, emphasizing competition and U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence. Speaking to reporters in Ireland on Sunday, Trump said “whoever wins AI wins,” while pushing back against safety concerns and stressing competition with China.
Obama’s intervention puts economic disruption, child safety and oversight of AI companies at the center of the policy framework he wants Democrats to develop. Rather than arguing that AI development should stop, he called for lawmakers to establish clearer rules around a technology he views as both potentially useful and potentially dangerous.
This analysis is based on reporting from NBC News.
Image courtesy of SBS World News.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
