Barack Obama

Dad, husband, President, citizen.

[Michelle Obama @MichelleObama]

Happy International Day of the Girl!

I’m excited to share that the @GirlsAlliance will be providing more than $1 million to 25 incredible grassroots organizations supporting girls in 15 different countries.

Join us in this work: https://t.co/dlt8q5SulL

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Proud of you, @WhiteSox, for making the jump this year! Next year will be even better!

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

When I got to Chicago in the summer of 1985, Mike Ditka and the Chicago Bears were king. Coach Ditka set the tone for a team that was punishing, dominant, and fun — and the city loved him for it. I'm thinking of the Ditka family and Bears fans everywhere on the passing of a legend.

[Democrats @TheDemocrats]

New powerful message from @BarackObama ahead of the midterms:

“Get involved and help Democrats win one of the most consequential elections in our country’s history. Because the most powerful office in this country has always been ‘citizen.’”

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Looking forward to being in Detroit on 10/24 to campaign for @JocelynBenson, @AbdulElSayed, and Democrats up and down the ballot in Michigan.

Join us: https://t.co/DfVZd01znP

[Michigan Democrats @MichiganDems]

Fired up? Ready to go!

Join President @barackobama, @jocelynbenson, @AbdulElSayed and our entire Democratic ticket in Detroit on Oct. 24 to kick off the first day of statewide in-person early voting! Sign up here: https://t.co/bZJewxnfqe

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Make sure you’re registered and have a plan to vote at https://t.co/yBMs4vuDLL.

[Democrats @TheDemocrats]

If you live in the following states, TODAY is the last day to register to vote before the midterm elections:

Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Mississippi
Ohio
Tennessee
Texas

Go to https://t.co/S7FhVVj9zP for more info.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Happy anniversary, @MichelleObama! I’m still the luckiest guy in the world to be with you.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Lawyers are on the front lines of the fight to protect our democracy. Right now, @WeTheAction is recruiting lawyers who are willing to volunteer their time to defend voting rights. Join them: https://t.co/WyNK4mes3W

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Congrats @WhiteSox — let’s keep it going!

[Chicago White Sox @whitesox]

this team is something special

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Congrats to my @WhiteSox (and @Cubs) on making the playoffs! Let’s ride a hot streak all the way to the World Series.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

There may not be a single perfect approach, but we have the power to decide where this technology goes.

[Brad Smith @BradSmi]

We've long argued for a balanced approach to AI regulation. One that keeps humans in control. Since 2023, @Microsoft has advocated for "safety brakes" or an “off switch" that keeps advanced AI systems under human control. And it should ensure that AI systems that control critical infrastructure and autonomous systems be run in secure cloud infrastructure with layered safeguards that provide additional intervention points as needed. Put simply, powerful AI systems should always remain under human control, including interruption, correction, and shutdown.

This approach is tried and tested. In the 1850s, Elisha Otis’ demonstration of a safety brake at the World’s Fair helped earn the public’s trust – and made modern cities possible. We should adopt this principle for AI. If we do, AI can become a powerful tool for human progress. If we don't, a lack of public trust, not regulation, will become the limiting factor that slows AI adoption.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

I’m glad to see more people talking about the future of AI, both within the tech industry and outside of it. https://t.co/N0feP3XRGc

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family.

We got Sunny at the start of our second term in the White House, and all of us – including our first dog, Bo – immediately fell in love. We also had trouble keeping up with her, for Sunny was a force of nature. Athletic and full of boundless energy, she leapt over the hedges on the South Lawn like they weren’t even there, chasing squirrels, birds and anything else that moved. And whereas the way to Bo’s heart usually involved a treat, Sunny was more interested in having us run around with her, roll on the floor with her, or have her belly rubbed for as long as we were willing.

She loved the girls, even if they were pestering her when she was napping. She loved our team, and would often follow them around, helping them on the job. She was fiercely protective of Bo, who she rightly sensed wasn’t always as alert and attentive as she was. She had her eccentricities: other than Bo, she preferred people to dogs; she was a loud and sloppy drinker; and despite being a Portuguese Water Dog, she hated getting wet.

But as far as our family was concerned, she was pretty much perfect, and for thirteen years, she would be by our side – always loyal, always sweet, always ready for adventure, still fiery and gorgeous till the very end of her days.

We will miss her terribly, and imagine she’s with her big brother now, making sure he’s okay.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

The right to vote is one of the most fundamental parts of our democracy. Check your voter registration at https://t.co/yBMs4vuDLL and make a plan to vote early or on Election Day on November 3.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

But at the end of the day, voluntary standards made by a handful of tech companies won’t be enough. We need government – and specifically our leaders in Washington – to get proactive in coming up with concrete proposals, laws and regulations that deal with serious safety concerns, anticipate AI’s impact on jobs and our kids, and make sure that AI’s benefits are widely spread. And we need the U.S. to take the lead in creating international standards for AI safety.

Given what we know about technology, we can’t stuff AI back in a box. But we can collectively determine how it's developed and how it’s used, rather than sitting back and letting AI and its fallout happen to us.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

I was encouraged this week to see the leaders of the frontier labs agree on the need for them to slow down the pace of AI development. Given the stakes, it’s a good and necessary first step.

But I’m even more encouraged by the growing recognition that how this powerful new technology develops should be at the center of our public debate.

I’ve been watching the progress on AI for over a decade now, and one thing that’s clear to me is that the potential impact of this technology is not overhyped. It’s also moving at lightning speed – and even faster than those who are engineering it can keep up with.

I’m not an AI accelerationist who believes it will lead to some techno-utopia, and I’m not a doomer who thinks it will inevitably lead to humanity’s destruction.

But whether this technology results in amazing breakthroughs in medicine, energy and education or unleashes huge economic disruptions, greater inequality, and potential catastrophe will depend on the choices that we make right now – choices that should be made not just by the companies involved, but by all of us.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

So, we need to use this time to structure a more open, public and democratic conversation about AI. Building on the statements that the frontier companies have already made, some leaders in the space announced they’re launching what they call Project Blueprint to help tech companies and policy makers work together on setting stronger standards and guidelines for AI development.

[Andrew Ross Sorkin @andrewrsorkin]

Breaking in @dealbook: Jay Carney is joining SV Angel, Ron Conway’s venture capital firm, to run a new initiative called Project Blueprint. Its purpose is to rebuild bonds between leaders in the artificial intelligence sector and Democrats who are demanding new rules to regulate the technology.

https://t.co/MhPpWZW7XU

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

Best wishes for a sweet and happy new year on this Rosh Hashanah! President Obama has said that the High Holidays, which begin today, are days of awe — a chance to give thanks for the miracle of renewal, and an extraordinary opportunity to begin again in pursuit of justice, prosperity and peace. Shanah Tova.

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

In 2009, @BarackObama established this day as a National Day of Service and Remembrance by passing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Since then, thousands upon thousands of Americans have volunteered their talents and time to transform a moment of collective grief into an act of community good.

Tell us in the comments what you’re doing to make today about service and remembrance.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

If you were young in 2001, or weren’t even born yet, it can be hard to imagine what 9/11 felt like. The shock of that beautiful, cloudless morning. The heartbreak of the families whose loved ones were taken with such swiftness and cruelty. The realization that the forces of malevolence and violence were closer, and the future less certain, than we knew.

But in the days that followed, we felt something else, too. Pride in the rescue workers who had rushed to the scene, and the passengers who had stormed the cockpit. Admiration for the men and women who left behind lives of comfort to serve their country. A deep resolve that nothing would break the will of a truly United States of America.

Today Michelle and I are remembering those we lost that day, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed. We pray for their families. And we hope Americans everywhere remember the true lesson of 9/11: that we can survive even our darkest days as long as we move forward as one nation and one people.