Obama warns AI is moving too fast “in private hands”
Former US President added that if not managed, AI "can be dangerous".
Image via Shutterstock
- Obama warned that AI is advancing quickly in private hands and could become dangerous without proper oversight.
- He urged Democrats to create a public AI policy framework if they win back the House.
- Obama said future presidential candidates should explain how they would address AI safety and economic risks.
- His remarks follow warnings from AI leaders about rogue agents and the pace of advanced AI development.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Former US President Barack Obama warned that AI technology is moving extremely quickly “in private hands” and could be “dangerous” if not properly managed. He also encouraged Democrats to prioritize the issue and develop a clear policy framework for addressing AI risks.
Obama made the remarks during a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in New York on Thursday, urging House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to establish “a framework for a very public conversation” about AI if Democrats win back the House in the midterm elections on November 3rd.
“Once you are speaker, I would strongly urge that the Democrats put together a framework for a very public conversation,” Obama said, according to a partial transcript provided by Obama’s office and seen by The New York Times.
He also urged 2028 presidential candidates to make AI a central part of their campaigns and “have a very clear plan” for addressing safety and economic risks.
“This is something that is moving very fast in private hands, and if we don’t get on top of it, I think can be dangerous,” he added.
“If we do get on top of it, I do think it’s beneficial. I genuinely think it’s going to accelerate, for example, drug development in ways that can help us cure diseases. I do think that this can help us figure out pathways for a clean energy future.”
During the event, Obama described his position on AI as somewhere between the two extremes, saying he was neither an “accelerationist” nor a “doomer.”
This comes amid stark warnings from industry leaders this week. On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei shared his essay on X, where he said that AI development needs to slow down and warned that rogue AI agents could potentially “take over the entire internet" within six to 12 months.
Stay updated with our latest stories and follow us on social media
Be the first to discover new stories, ideas, and updates from our team.
His warnings were backed by xAI CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Altman told employees during a company-wide meeting this week that OpenAI is open to slowing down the development of advanced AI tech. This also followed Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger saying he believes there is an over 10% chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.
