Former President Barack Obama rejected the notion that market forces can solve safety issues in artificial intelligence, arguing that federal oversight is the only effective way to manage the risks of the technology. He warned that "agentic AI" systems roaming the internet create a misalignment between commercial imperatives and societal needs, as companies prioritize products that justify high valuations over safer "oracle" systems that could cure cancer or optimize energy. Obama cited 150 years of experience with airlines, drug companies, and food producers to show that letting the market operate without guardrails threatens public health and safety.

A gap in government action persists because the current administration is unwilling or incapable of establishing a regulatory structure, according to Obama. He advocated for temporary voluntary industry restraint to slow the technology's deployment while awaiting federal legislation and a bipartisan conversation. AI researcher Gary Marcus identified Obama as the first politician to pinpoint that the core risk is not AI in general, but specifically autonomous agents with internet access.