Obama Is the AI Czar We Need for Global Cooperation
Effective regulation of artificial intelligence will require someone who can inspire unprecedented worldwide consensus. One man has a head start.
Obama seems interested in AI. He should stick with it.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Not long after President Joe Biden unveiled his sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence, it emerged he had enlisted some notable outside help to craft it.
Over about five months, according to Jeff Zients, Biden’s chief of staff, former President Barack Obama quietly advised the best way forward. Obama met with tech leaders and discussed key issues with leading advocacy groups and policy think tanks. It was the first time the current White House had reached out to Obama for direct help on policymaking. The result was a deep, detailed plan for the adoption and safeguarding of AI. Running to almost 20,000 words, the document was lauded for both its thoroughness and its ambition.