Obama urges Democrats to have a ‘clear plan’ for AI safeguards

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Obama spoke at a Democratic fundraising event on Thursday, interviewed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, arguing that Democrats should build 'a framework for a very public conversation' on AI if they regain the House majority. He framed the technology as dual-edged: 'if we don't get on top of it, I think can be dangerous,' while also saying AI could accelerate drug development to cure diseases. The former president revealed he has positioned himself as a 'sounding board' for AI executives, disclosing direct conversations with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Jeffries called for 'decisive action.' Obama's comments followed a public resignation by an unnamed AI researcher at Anthropic, who claimed labs are 'racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.' Separately, Amodei published a 'pacing the frontier' proposal calling for independent safety evaluators with employee-level access to frontier AI companies and shared safety standards across labs. Both Altman and Musk responded positively on social media, with Altman committing OpenAI to similar access for evaluators. President Trump, at an Irish golf event the same weekend, framed AI dominance as a US geopolitical priority, casting doubt on safety critics while saying the US would 'put guardrails' — a notably different register from both Obama's institutional push and the voluntary industry framework gaining momentum.