Biden meets with tech leaders to talk artificial intelligence benefits
SAN FRANCISCO - President Joe Biden is winding down his latest Bay Area visit. This will be a short visit for the president, who is in town fundraising and talking science.
California Street, one of the city's major east-west routes, was closed through Nob Hill throughout most of the day. Crowds lined the street hoping for a peek of the presidential motorcade.
Imogen Walsh and Alex Cawthorne stumbled upon the closed streets. "We wanted to see this road because it's kind of iconic with the trams and wondered about all the bomb squad vans first of all and then spoke to a journalist who said someone's coming," said Walsh. "I said 'who is that somebody?' He said the president."
A bit of a surprise for these Brits from Henley-on-Thames. "The first question we had was 'the president of what?' So, it turns out it's 'The president.' Yes, massively surprised, so we thought we'd stick around and see what happens."
Inside The Fairmont Hotel, President Biden met with members of the scientific community. Among the topics for discussion; artificial intelligence, and the impact it can have on every scientific field from climate change to medicine. The president saying embracing science will help keep America competitive. "The actions we take are going to help protect people's health, we're going to promote innovation. We're going to win the economic competition of the 21st century in my humble opinion," said the president.
While science may have been the topic at hand, the president also addressed the ongoing stalemate over keeping the government funded, saying he does not see a federal government shutdown as an inevitability. "If we have a government shutdown, a lot of vital work in science and health could be impacted from cancer research to food safety," said the president. "So, the American people need out Republican representatives to do their jobs."
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The president also said his administration will be making investments in patient safety initiatives that will help develop new antibiotics and fight drug-resistant bacteria.
The president had two campaign stops this afternoon and is scheduled to fly out of SFO shortly before 7 p.m.
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