Former President Barack Obama sat down with The Verge to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), social networks, and the future of the internet.

Key highlights:

• Obama has been talking to the Biden administration and leaders across the tech industry about AI and how best to regulate it.
• He joined the show to get people thinking about the problems surrounding AI regulation.
• Obama believes that people with expertise in AI should take a tour of duty in the government to help regulate it.

Obama expressed concern that the government may not have the necessary insight and expertise to properly regulate AI. He believes that people with expertise in AI should take a tour of duty in the government to help ensure that AI is regulated in a way that is both beneficial to society and protects individual rights.

Obama also discussed the First Amendment and how it applies to the internet. He mentioned the famous Supreme Court case Red Lion Broadcasting v. FCC, which said that the government could impose the Fairness Doctrine on radio and television broadcasters because the public owns the airwaves. However, there is no similar framework for cable TV or the internet, which do not use public airwaves. This makes them much harder, if not impossible, to regulate.

Obama also disagreed with the idea that social networks should be considered "common carriers" that have to distribute all information equally. He believes that this would stifle innovation and free speech.

Finally, Obama compared the impact of AI on the world to electricity. He believes that AI has the potential to be even more transformative than electricity or fire.