Former US President Barack Obama said artificial intelligence could be “dangerous” if it is not managed adequately at a private fundraising event organized by the Democratic Party in Manhattan. Addressing House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, 65-year-old Obama said Democrats should prepare a clear artificial intelligence policy if they win a majority in the November midterm elections. Obama, who served as president from 2009 to 2017, called on candidates in the 2028 elections to make artificial intelligence a “major agenda item” and present plans addressing child safety, economic transformation and job losses. He also said the technology could benefit drug development and clean energy. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slowing the pace of development, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman supported the call. Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic employee, claimed that industry workers believe the systems could “destroy humanity” within 10 years.
Why it matters
The fact that the debate over artificial intelligence has evolved from a technology issue into a matter of electoral politics and public administration shows that decisions will not be shaped solely by companies. Child safety, potential job losses and economic transformation are creating concrete policy areas for groups that will be directly affected by the use of the technology. The balance between the potential benefits in areas such as drug development and clean energy and the risks that uncontrolled development could create stands out as the key issue that will shape political parties’ approach. However, it is not yet clear what kind of regulation Democrats would prepare if they win a majority or how calls to slow the industry’s pace of development would be reflected in policy decisions.