# Obama Agrees With The CEOs: Now is the time for the AI Slowdown

> Source: <https://au.pcmag.com/ai/120000/obama-agrees-with-the-ceos-now-is-the-time-for-the-ai-slowdown>
> Published: 2026-09-20 12:31:40+00:00

Former president Barack Obama said that a voluntary slowdown by AI firms was not a 'replacement' for government regulation, but is 'probably the best we can do for now until we can get Congress and the White House to start getting serious about this.'
From OpenAI's Sam Altman to Anthropic's Dario Amodei to SpaceX's Elon Musk, the most known figures in the AI world have reached rare agreement on one thing: now is the time for a [voluntary slowdown of AI development.](https://au.pcmag.com/ai/119891/anthropic-ceo-pushes-to-slow-the-pace-of-ai-development-other-ceos-fall-in-line) Now, one of the …