Former President Barack Obama pressed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a private fundraiser to make artificial intelligence a core Democratic priority. The New York Times said Obama told Jeffries, who would become speaker if Democrats win the House, to prepare a public plan for debating AI rules after taking that post.

Obama said private firms are advancing the technology rapidly and that inaction could prove hazardous, while effective oversight could speed new medicines and cleaner energy.

Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei argued in a recent blog post that companies should ease the rate at which they raise model capabilities. Amodei also said he shares Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s assessment that a Chinese lead would gravely endanger the United States and other democracies, including through military systems such as drones.