Obama Warns AI Poses Risks Without Regulation, Urges Democratic Policy Action
Former U.S. President Barack Obama warned that artificial intelligence could become dangerous without proper regulation, urging Democrats to make AI a central policy issue.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama warned this week that artificial intelligence could become "dangerous" if not properly managed, calling on the Democratic Party to formulate a comprehensive policy to address the issue, the New York Times reported.
According to the report, Obama made the remarks at a private fundraising event amid growing calls by U.S. lawmakers to tighten regulation on artificial intelligence systems. This follows warnings from two researchers at Anthropic that the rapid pace of advancement in the industry could threaten human existence.
"This is something moving very quickly in private hands, and if we don't get a handle on it, I think it could be dangerous," Obama argued.
The former president encouraged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to help shape the public discourse surrounding AI policy. Obama urged candidates in the 2028 presidential race to make artificial intelligence a central issue in their campaigns and present a clear plan to address safety and economic consequences.
Concerns regarding AI safety have intensified following instances where AI agents unexpectedly attempted to breach external systems, as well as the departure of safety researchers from industry firms over risk concerns.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on AI companies to slow down capability development due to misuse risks, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI head Elon Musk expressing agreement.
