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Obama requests AI programming recruits in race for tech supremacy

November 13, 2023 | | Print Article

Former President Barack Obama is publicly calling for programmers to join the Biden administration in developing an artificial intelligence army for “the common good.”

The statement by Obama suggests that Obama and other Democrat leaders are in a rush to be the first ones to establish AI supremacy and they are recruiting young software techs to do it.

“And I wanna emphasize once again… because you’ve got an audience that understands this stuff, cares about it, is involved in it, working at it… If you are interested in helping to shape all these amazing questions that are gonna be coming up, go to AI.gov and see if there are opportunities for you fresh out of school,” Obama stated on the Decoder Podcast.

“Or you might be an experienced tech coder who has done fine… bought the house, got everything set, and says, ‘You know I wanna do something for the common good.’ Sign up. This is part of what we set up there during my presidency at US Digital Services,” the former president continued.

“And, it’s remarkable how many really high-level folks decided for six months, for a year, for two years, then devoting themselves to questions that are bigger than just, you know, what the latest app, you know, or video game was. Turned out to be really important to them. And attracting that kind of talent into this field with that perspective, I think is going to be vital,” Obama asserted.

Obama has evidently been in the thick of planning President Biden’s AI executive order. According to NBC News, he’s been involved with it for at least five months.

“Former President Barack Obama quietly advised the White House over the past five months on its strategy to address artificial intelligence, engaging behind the scenes with tech companies and holding Zoom meetings with top West Wing aides at President Joe Biden’s request, according to aides to both men,” NBC News reported.

“The joint effort culminated Monday when Biden signed an executive order establishing some government oversight of AI development. It’s the first time Biden has tapped his former boss to help shape a key policy initiative, aides said, and he did it because Obama shares his views on the issue and brings a certain heft that could help move the process along quickly,” the leftist news outlet added.

“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 quoted Biden as saying. “We have to move as fast, or ideally faster. And we need to pull every lever we can.”

The call to young programmers may or may not be answered. It sounds as though the pay will be low and that the government is appealing to those fresh out of school to join an elite group that will develop AI.

Obama has stated that he is very concerned about how AI could affect upcoming elections as well. And his political signature seems to be all over Biden’s new executive order.

“Obama was particularly helpful in laying the groundwork for tech companies to voluntarily sign on to have their AI models pressure-tested before they’re released to the public, Biden and Obama aides said. Part of his approach was to urge industry leaders to consider risks beyond national security, including information integrity, bias, and discrimination,” NBC News reported.

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