Former U.S. President Barack Obama is urging Democrats to make artificial intelligence a central policy priority and develop a clear plan for its economic and safety implications. Speaking at a Democratic fundraising event on Thursday, Obama said lawmakers need a public framework for addressing a technology that is advancing quickly under private-sector control.
Obama made the comments during an interview with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to The New York Times. He said AI could create serious risks if governments fail to respond, while also pointing to potential benefits such as faster drug development and new treatments for disease.
Obama has previously called for stronger public oversight of AI through the Obama Foundation. In a recent discussion published by the Foundation, he described AI as highly disruptive and argued that governments need safety benchmarks and rules while preserving its potential benefits.
Democrats Call for Faster Action on AI
Jeffries said Obama was correct that lawmakers need to act decisively. In an official interview published by his office, Jeffries said Democrats should urgently address AI-related risks and criticized the current Republican-controlled House for abandoning earlier bipartisan work on safeguards.
Obama has also acted as an informal sounding board for AI executives and has spoken with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. His comments come as researchers and industry leaders increasingly debate whether frontier AI development is moving faster than safety measures can keep up.
Amodei recently proposed slowing capability development enough to allow safeguards and independent evaluation to catch up. His We Must Pace the Frontier proposal calls for outside evaluators with ongoing access to leading AI companies, industry coordination and eventual international agreements.
Altman has expressed support for independent evaluators, while Elon Musk has also backed Amodei’s call for greater caution.
Trump Prioritizes Maintaining the U.S. AI Lead
President Donald Trump has taken a different position on slowing development. Speaking in Ireland on Sunday, he said the United States should remain ahead of China in AI and argued that some warnings about the technology were exaggerated.
The Trump administration has already published a national AI legislative framework covering child safety, intellectual property, infrastructure, free speech and workforce development. It also calls for a consistent federal approach to AI regulation rather than conflicting state rules.
Obama, meanwhile, argued that Democrats should be ready with their own framework if they regain control of the House. He said AI policy should account for both the economic disruption the technology may create and the potential benefits it could deliver if governments establish appropriate safeguards.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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