Obama Quietly Advised White House On Artificial Intelligence, Aides Say

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Former U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly quietly advised the White House over the past five months on its policies for artificial intelligence (AI), fueling concerns among critics that the ex-commander-in-chief is running a third-term shadow government.

President Joe Biden asked his former boss, for whom he had served as vice-president, to approach tech companies and hold Zoom video calls with top West Wing officials, aides to both men said Friday.

The joint effort culminated Monday when Biden signed an executive order establishing some government oversight of AI development, broadcaster NBC reported.

Aids quickly pointed out that “it’s the first time” Biden has tapped Obama to help shape a key policy initiative. He did it because Obama “shares his views” on the issue and brings a certain heft that could help move the process along quickly, officials said.

“You have to move fast here, not at normal government pace or normal private-sector pace, because the technology is moving so fast,” White House chief of staff Jeff Zients recalled Biden saying. “We have to move as fast, or ideally faster. And we need to pull every lever we can.”

AI is one thing that keeps both Biden and Obama up at night, their aides said.

At a signing ceremony for the executive order Monday, Biden called AI “the most consequential technology of our time,” citing fears that AI-enabled cyberattacks and AI-formulated bioweapons could endanger the lives of millions. But if it is used correctly, he said, the technology can be incredibly beneficial to developing new drugs and cancer research.

HELPING GROUNDWORK

Obama was “particularly helpful in laying the groundwork” for tech companies to sign on to have their AI models voluntarily pressure-tested before they’re released to the public, Biden and Obama told NBC News.

They reportedly said that part of his approach was “to urge industry leaders to consider risks beyond national security, including information integrity, bias, and discrimination.”

Yet the news that Obama was involved was expected to be used by former President Donald Trump, who seeks a second term in office. He has questions about Biden’s mental fitness for office, a core part of his campaign speeches, and suggested that others really run the show. “He’s always looking around, where do I go?”

Trump said as he did an exaggerated impersonation of Biden walking around the stage looking confused at a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, lowa, last month.

However, Trump critics say he has made gaffes recently, including incorrectly saying that Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, was the prime minister of Turkey – though he quickly corrected that error.

Trump has also repeatedly mispronounced Hamas (huh-maas), the name of the Palestinian group that launched a deadly terror attack on Israel, as “hummus.”

And, during a rally in South Carolina in September, Trump confused former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, one of Trump’s 2016 GOP rivals, with his brother, former President George W. Bush.

However, Obama’s running key White House policies for the 80-year-old Biden was due to add to a debate about whether the elder statesman is fit enough for a second term. Whether an AI secretary could help him with the job remained uncertain on Friday.

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