Barack Obama warns AI could be 'dangerous' without proper safeguards, urges Democrats to act

Former US President Barack Obama warned that AI could become “dangerous” without proper safeguards, urging Democrats to develop policy and governance plans as lawmakers push for tougher rules. The New York Times reported his remarks came at a private fundraising event and referenced concerns raised by AI safety researchers. Obama said the technology is moving “very fast in private hands” and, without action, could be dangerous. Citing a partial transcript, the paper said he urged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to help craft a “very public conversation” on AI if Democrats regain the House in the November 3 midterm elections. Obama also urged 2028 candidates to make AI central. The article links broader alarm to AI agents allegedly going rogue and to Anthropic’s Dario Amodei calling for throttling model work, which he said gained agreement from Sam Altman and Elon Musk.