The former president spoke at a Democratic fundraiser and said lawmakers must prepare for AI’s economic and safety effects.

Former President Barack Obama told Democrats they need a clear plan for artificial intelligence safeguards, calling AI a central agenda item at a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday. Obama said lawmakers must build a framework for a public conversation on AI’s economic and safety effects. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries interviewed Obama, and Obama’s office gave The New York Times a partial transcript.

Obama offered himself as a sounding board to AI executives and spoke with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Congress must take decisive action on AI and Republicans abdicated responsibility to govern. An AI researcher resigned from Anthropic and claimed leading AI companies are racing to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with lives.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed giving independent safety evaluators access to leading AI models and developing common safety standards between companies. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backed independent evaluators with employee-like access at OpenAI. Builders should prepare for third-party audits, model access requests, and shared safety rules that could affect release timelines and enterprise contracts.

Obama’s comments arrived as President Donald Trump discussed AI safety and said the United States must remain the most sophisticated country. The Trump administration released a legislative framework this year that would preempt state laws and shift child safety burden to parents. Watch whether Democrats publish an AI framework, whether labs adopt Amodei’s evaluator plan, and how federal policy shapes state rules.

What matters

• Obama told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that Democrats need a public framework for AI policy.
• Builders should track how Democratic AI safeguards could shape model releases, audits, and safety testing.
• Watch whether congressional Democrats release a formal AI framework after they regain the House majority.

Why it matters

Watch whether congressional Democrats release a formal AI framework after they regain the House majority.

This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by TechCrunch AI. Source reference: https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/13/obama-urges-democrats-to-have-a-clear-plan-for-ai-safeguards/.

Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.