{"slug": "obama-calls-for-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach", "title": "Obama calls for AI safety measures, rebuking Trump approach", "summary": "Former US President Barack Obama called for federal laws and regulations governing artificial intelligence safety in a statement on Monday, September 14, warning the technology could unleash \"potential catastrophe\" if not properly managed and criticizing the voluntary standards favored by President Donald Trump's administration. Obama said AI policy \"should be at the centre of our public debate\" and urged Washington policymakers to \"get proactive\" on safety concerns, jobs, children and spreading AI's benefits, while Trump on the same day dismissed existential AI fears as a \"hoax\" and called efforts to rein in development a gift to China. The New York Times reported Sunday that Obama told party leaders at a private fundraiser that 2028 presidential candidates should have a \"clear plan\" to address AI safety and economic concerns.", "body_md": "# Obama calls for AI safety measures, rebuking Trump approach\n\nPolicy on the tech should be central to public debate, says former US president\n\n[WASHINGTON] Former US President Barack Obama voiced support for federal laws and regulations governing artificial intelligence safety, saying that the technology could unleash “potential catastrophe” if not properly managed.\n\nIn a statement on Monday (Sep 14), Obama said that AI policy “should be at the centre of our public debate”.\n\nWashington policymakers must “get proactive” in crafting proposals “that deal with serious safety concerns, anticipate AI’s impact on jobs and our kids, and make sure that AI’s benefits are widely spread”, he added.\n\nThe former president criticised the [hands-off approach to AI regulation championed by US President Donald Trump](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/global/only-guardrail-ai-needs-high-iq-president-trump-says-dismissing-calls-more-safeguards), though he did not mention his successor by name, saying that “voluntary standards made by a handful of tech companies won’t be enough”.  \n\nA June executive order signed by Trump established an optional framework for AI developers to give the government advanced access to frontier models in order to review potential security risks.\n\n“Given what we know about technology, we can’t stuff AI back in a box. But we can collectively determine how it’s developed and how it’s used, rather than sitting back and letting AI and its fallout happen to us,” Obama said.\n\nThe rare public statement from Obama amounts to his most in-depth comments yet about AI, which has come to dominate the national conversation as leading industry executives and lawmakers [call for slowing the development of cutting-edge models](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/global/anthropic-ceo-urges-slower-ai-development-altman-musk-rally-behind-call). \n\nWithout a clear leader in the party, many Democrats still look to Obama for advice and guidance on policy and political strategy.\n\nBy injecting himself into the debate, Obama is positioning his party as champions of greater AI safety measures walking into the November midterm elections and the start of the 2028 presidential contest.\n\nSuch a stance would place Democratic candidates in direct contrast with Trump, who has become increasingly strident in his resistance to AI regulation.\n\nOn Monday, he released a torrent of social media posts dismissing existential fears about AI as a “hoax” and calling calls to rein in development a gift to China.\n\n*The New York Times* reported on Sunday that Obama urged party leaders during a recent private fundraiser that they should quickly form a plan to prioritise the issue in the coming years and said that 2028 presidential candidates ought to have a “clear plan” to respond to safety and economic concerns spurred by AI. BLOOMBERG\n\nDecoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. 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Free.\n\nShare with us your feedback on BT's products and services", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/obama-calls-for-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach", "canonical_source": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/obama-calls-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach", "published_at": "2026-09-15 02:04:36+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-15 02:30:43.136787+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-safety"], "entities": ["Barack Obama", "Donald Trump", "The New York Times", "Democratic Party", "Bloomberg"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/obama-calls-for-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/obama-calls-for-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/obama-calls-for-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/obama-calls-for-ai-safety-measures-rebuking-trump-approach.jsonld"}}