Former President Barack Obama urged the Democratic Party to prioritize the governance of artificial intelligence and endorsed the decision by frontier AI lab leaders to slow development. Speaking at a private fundraiser, Obama told House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to build a clear AI policy framework if the party retakes the House and advocated for 2028 presidential candidates to center AI in their platforms.

The former president described the impact of AI as not overhyped and warned of safety risks and widespread job displacement if governments fail to act quickly. Obama characterized himself as neither an "accelerationist" who expects a techno-utopia nor a "doomer" who fears humanity's destruction, stating that public debate must guide the technology's development rather than just the companies involved.