Obama criticizes Trump on approach to AI, escalates warning for stronger regulation

Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump's approach to artificial intelligence on Friday, calling for stronger federal regulation as the technology rapidly advances and concerns grow over safety, jobs and human control.

"The challenge we have is that, obviously, we have a president currently that has said that’s for losers," Obama said during an appearance at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. "So we’ve got a gap of at least a couple of years, where things are moving really fast, and we have an administration that is not capable of or willing to — I would argue both — putting together a serious regulatory framework."

Obama's remarks expanded on a warning he issued last week, when he privately urged Democrats to make AI a central political issue. 

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RNC member and Humans First Chairwoman Amy Kremer told Fox News Digital last week that policymakers should recognize AI’s risks without handing greater control to Washington or the technology companies themselves.

"You don't have to agree on politics to recognize reality: AI is moving incredibly fast, and policymakers need to understand both the opportunities and the very real risks that come with it," she said. 

"Where I likely disagree with President Obama is on what government should do about it. The answer isn't handing Washington bureaucrats more control, and it certainly isn't allowing Big Tech to write the rules that govern itself," she said.

"We need guardrails that protect Americans while allowing American innovation to lead the world. That means protecting children, workers and our national security, while making sure China doesn't win the AI race," she continued.

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The debate shifted again Saturday when Trump announced the creation of an "AI Force" and said he plans to appoint an AI czar, while reiterating that his administration would resist efforts to slow development as the United States competes with China.

"We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry," Trump said in a lengthy Truth Social post.

Obama, speaking during Colgate’s Family Weekend, argued that relying on companies’ financial incentives and potential liability was insufficient to manage the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.

"[The] government has to be regulating this!" Obama said. "I heard one of Donald Trump’s main advisors on this make the argument that, ‘The market will take care of it. These companies will solve the safety issues because they have every incentive to do so — if it turns out to be dangerous, people will just sue them, and they’re worried about financial liability.’ That’s not how we treat airlines! Or drug companies, or food companies."

Kremer told Fox News Digital that she felt Obama was "directing his criticism at the wrong branch of government."

"It is not the president's job to write laws. That responsibility belongs to Congress, and Congress needs to act," Kremer said.

"We need serious guardrails for artificial intelligence, but this should not become another partisan fight over Donald Trump or Barack Obama. AI is moving too quickly and the stakes are too high for that. Congress must do its job and establish clear, enforceable rules that protect our children, American workers, our national security, and our communities while allowing American innovation to continue," she added.

Kremer also said that Republicans should lead the framework for AI.

"Republicans should also recognize that if we fail to lead on this issue, we leave a political opening for the left to define the debate and write the rules. Conservatives should be leading with a framework that protects Americans, preserves innovation, respects states' rights and local control, and holds Big Tech accountable. We should not cede this issue to Democrats simply because some people believe any guardrail is anti-innovation," she said.

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"Voluntary commitments from the AI companies themselves are not sufficient. The companies developing the most powerful technology in the world cannot also be the only ones deciding whether that technology is safe," Kremer said.

Obama's characterization of the administration came as the White House has pursued its own AI policy framework, though one focused heavily on encouraging development and limiting regulations it considers burdensome.

The Trump administration unveiled a national legislative framework in March addressing child safety, free speech, workforce issues and energy costs while calling for a consistent national approach to AI policy.

Trump also signed a national security directive in June ordering agencies to accelerate adoption of advanced AI while requiring systems used in national security settings to be "robust, steerable, controllable" and subject to clear lines of accountability.

The disagreement has intensified as executives inside the AI industry themselves call for additional safeguards. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged companies last week to slow the pace of improvements to frontier models, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk expressed support for greater caution.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but did not immediately hear back.