Obama tells Democrats to prioritize AI safeguards plan — SkimNews
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- Barack Obama said at a Thursday Democratic fundraiser that his party must put together a framework for 'a very public conversation' on AI, warning that the technology is 'moving very fast in private hands' and could be 'dangerous' without guardrails
- Obama has positioned himself as a 'sounding board' to AI executives, having spoken with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to The New York Times
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Obama 'is correct that decisive action must be taken on artificial intelligence,' adding that 'Republicans have abdicated their responsibility to govern on behalf of the American people'
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlined a Saturday plan to 'pace the frontier,' including independent safety evaluators with access to leading AI labs and 'common safety standards' between companies
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded on social media that his company would also commit to 'having independent evaluators with employee-like access,' with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also signaling support
- President Donald Trump told reporters at an Irish golf event Sunday that the U.S. is 'the most sophisticated country in the world' and 'whoever wins AI wins,' while pushing back on some of the safety criticism
Why it matters: With both parties now publicly staking out AI positions, the safety debate is shifting from Silicon Valley to the campaign trail ahead of midterms. Obama is recruiting Democrats to champion a framework with guardrails and independent evaluators, while Trump frames AI primarily as a geopolitical race — a contrast that puts the shape of any future AI law squarely on the 2026 ballot.
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