Obamas calls for government action on AI development

Obamas call for government action on AI development.

Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris were among the latest high-profile Democrats to call for greater government action to address artificial intelligence as some industry leaders call for a slowdown in the technology’s development amid growing public concern.

“We need government – and specifically our leaders in Washington – to get proactive in coming up with concrete proposals, laws and regulations 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,” Obama said in a statement Monday night. “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.”

The debate around artificial intelligence has ramped up in recent days, with some politicians and tech executives calling for greater government regulation of the industry while President Donald Trump has deemed the concerns about AI a “HOAX” and part of a “SICK conspiracy.”