Obama urges Democrats to craft comprehensive AI safety plan

Former President Barack Obama urged Democratic lawmakers to formulate a detailed agenda on artificial intelligence during a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He said that if he were a presidential candidate, AI safety and the technology’s economic effects would be central to his platform. Obama urged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to convene a public conversation that breaks the issue into several key topics.

"If we get on top of it, I do think it’s beneficial," Obama said, noting AI’s potential to accelerate disease cures and clean-energy research while warning that rapid private-sector development could become hazardous without oversight.

The remarks came as AI industry leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI chief Sam Altman and entrepreneur Elon Musk, have called for a slowdown in development, citing concerns that safety safeguards are lagging behind. Recent resignations of researchers over extinction-risk worries have heightened calls for congressional action. House Speaker Mike Johnson said regulators must proceed carefully and proposed a meeting with platform providers to discuss the issue. President Donald Trump, speaking in Ireland, dismissed safety concerns and emphasized a competitive race with China.