Former President Barack Obama wowed a 23,000-strong full house at Manchester’s Co-op Live last night with a call to future leaders to draw inspiration from great stories, including that of Manchester’s stance against slavery during the American Civil War.<\/p>\n
He addressed the challenges of AI, social media, and the rise of nativist politics, but stopped short of even naming his successor, Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
In a 90-minute interview with journalist Afua Hirsch, the former President praised “your Prime Minister and former Mayor” for meeting with Vladimir Zelensky and taking a strong moral stance.<\/p>\n
“Most<\/span> people<\/span> are<\/span> good<\/span> and<\/span> have<\/span> good<\/span> impulses,<\/span> but<\/span> they<\/span> don’t<\/span> have<\/span> time<\/span> to<\/span> follow<\/span> everything,<\/span> and<\/span> so<\/span> they’re<\/span> not<\/span> paying<\/span> attention<\/span> to<\/span> what<\/span> is<\/span> happening<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> other<\/span> side<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> world.<\/span> They<\/span> might<\/span> have<\/span> a<\/span> vague<\/span> notion<\/span> that<\/span> there’s<\/span> a<\/span> war<\/span> going<\/span> on<\/span> somewhere,<\/span> but<\/span> if<\/span> it’s<\/span> not<\/span> your<\/span> job,<\/span> people<\/span> are<\/span> busy<\/span> doing<\/span> their<\/span> own<\/span> thing,<\/span><\/p>\n “So<\/span>\u00a0for<\/span> your<\/span> current<\/span> prime<\/span> minister<\/span> and<\/span> former<\/span> mayor<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> Zelensky<\/span> here<\/span> and<\/span> remind<\/span> people<\/span> what’s<\/span> at<\/span> stake<\/span> with<\/span> respect<\/span> to<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> that<\/span> is<\/span> an<\/span> important,<\/span> useful<\/span> thing<\/span> to<\/span> do,<\/span> and<\/span> people<\/span> take<\/span> cues<\/span> from<\/span> their<\/span> leadership,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Obama warned that social media platforms can amplify division by rewarding content that keeps users engaged, often through anger and fear. He called for democratic societies to set limits on how emerging technologies are used, arguing that artificial intelligence could compound social media\u2019s harms.<\/p>\n \u201cThe minute that happened, that then incentivised algorithms to track whatever it is that kept you hooked,\u201d Obama said, referring to platforms\u2019 shift toward engagement as a priority. \u201cAnd it turns out that a lot of what keeps you hooked is anger, resentment, fear\u201d.<\/p>\n He warned that people can become \u201ctrapped in our silos\u201d and said it is difficult to sustain democratic debate without agreement on basic facts. Rebuilding trust, he argued, will take more than online fixes: people also need forums for face-to-face conversation, where they can encounter those with different views.<\/p>\n Turning to AI, Obama said the technology is advancing rapidly, while public discussion and democratic safeguards remain inadequate. He called for the United States, China and other countries to establish \u201csome basic guardrails\u201d. \u201cTechnology should not determine our fate; these are tools,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cWe can place restraints on these things\u201d.<\/p>\n After describing how he and his wife Michelle are inspired by the efforts of young people supported by the Obama Foundation worldwide, he said he was hopeful things will get better.<\/p>\n “That<\/span> as<\/span> frustrating<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> moment<\/span> feels<\/span> now,<\/span> we’ve<\/span> been<\/span> through<\/span> worse,<\/span> and<\/span> we’ve<\/span> managed<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> through<\/span> it,<\/span> and<\/span> not<\/span> only<\/span> get<\/span> through<\/span> it<\/span> but<\/span> make<\/span> things<\/span> better.<\/span><\/p>\n “And<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> reminded,<\/span> being<\/span> here<\/span> in<\/span> Manchester,<\/span> of<\/span> just<\/span> this<\/span> wonderful<\/span> story<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> cotton<\/span> workers<\/span> here<\/span> in<\/span> Manchester<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> American<\/span> Civil<\/span> War<\/span> in<\/span> 1862,<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> Time<\/span> when<\/span> their<\/span> livelihoods<\/span> depended<\/span> on<\/span> cotton. The Union had set up a barricade and prevented cotton from leaving the South as part of the Civil War effort. The<\/span>\u00a0business<\/span> people<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> manufacturers,<\/span> and<\/span> I<\/span> think<\/span> even<\/span> the<\/span> Guardian<\/span> editorialised,<\/span> don’t<\/span> mess<\/span> with<\/span> that.<\/span><\/p>\n “O<\/span>ver<\/span> at the Free<\/span> Trade<\/span> hall,<\/span> a<\/span> bunch<\/span> of<\/span> British<\/span> working<\/span> class<\/span> workers<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> hungry<\/span> and<\/span> not<\/span> sure<\/span> whether<\/span> they’re<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> hold<\/span> things<\/span> together<\/span> sit<\/span> there,<\/span> and<\/span> they<\/span> meet,<\/span> and<\/span> they<\/span> collectively<\/span> say<\/span> we<\/span> are<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> stand<\/span> with<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> fighting<\/span> for<\/span> freedom,<\/span> even<\/span> though<\/span> it’s<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> cost<\/span> us,<\/span> even<\/span> though<\/span> it<\/span> will<\/span> exacerbate<\/span> our<\/span> nations.<\/span><\/p>\n “You hear<\/span> a<\/span> story<\/span> like<\/span> that,<\/span>\u00a0so<\/span> you<\/span>