Obama Calls on Democrats to Confront Risks From Rapid AI Growth

Obama raised the concerns during a private fundraising event last week, according to a Reuters report published Sept. 13 that cited reporting by The New York Times and a partial transcript supplied by Obama’s office.

The former president said AI is advancing quickly under the control of private companies and argued that policymakers need to get ahead of the potential consequences, according to Reuters. His comments add another prominent Democratic voice to a widening debate in Washington over how aggressively the U.S. should regulate increasingly capable AI systems.

Obama specifically encouraged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to develop a framework for a broad public discussion of AI policy should Democrats win control of the House in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Reuters reported, citing the Times.

He also urged candidates seeking the presidency in 2028 to treat artificial intelligence as a central campaign issue, with proposals addressing both the technology’s safety risks and its potential economic effects, according to the Reuters account.

Obama’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

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The intervention comes as anxiety about advanced AI has intensified among researchers, technology executives and lawmakers. Reuters reported that warnings from researchers at Anthropic have fueled concerns that rapidly improving AI systems could eventually pose catastrophic risks, while incidents involving AI agents accessing or hacking outside computer systems have increased scrutiny of whether developers can reliably control their technology.

Those concerns are beginning to reshape the debate inside the industry as well.

Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei on Saturday called for AI developers to moderate the pace at which they increase the capabilities of their most advanced models. His proposal included independent safety evaluators, greater coordination among leading AI companies and international cooperation on managing risks, according to Reuters.

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman and xAI head Elon Musk subsequently expressed support for elements of Amodei’s approach, Reuters reported. Altman said OpenAI has been discussing how to pace development at the technological frontier and indicated that leading AI companies may be moving toward greater coordination on safety.

The political response has crossed party lines. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Republican lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida have called for greater government attention to potentially catastrophic AI risks, according to Reuters. Bipartisan proposals under consideration include independent security audits for the most powerful systems and additional federal oversight.

President Donald Trump has taken a different emphasis, saying last week that he was not concerned about AI causing human extinction and instead highlighting the importance of maintaining the U.S. technological advantage over China, Reuters reported.

Obama’s remarks suggest AI could become an increasingly prominent dividing line in U.S. politics ahead of the 2026 midterms and the next presidential campaign. His message to Democrats, according to the Reuters account, is that the party should begin defining its position before the technology — and the risks surrounding it — advances further.

Source: Reuters