Microsoft president: AI is less regulated than milk and washing machines
Microsoft president Brad Smith told the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast that AI currently faces fewer safety rules than a domestic washing machine or every carton of milk in a grocery store, calling the technology both a tool and a weapon that urgently needs global safety rules. He called for firms to have "emergency brakes" or kill switches, mandatory incident reports telling victims when a rogue agent breaches their systems, and independent government-approved evaluators to vet high-risk AI products before release. Smith also argued the UK is best placed to lead international rule-making because of its AI Security Institute, and said last month's White House self-regulation pact signed by OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta and Google was a necessary but no longer sufficient step, since irresponsible companies will not comply voluntarily.
A top Microsoft executive publicly backing mandatory AI safety rules puts him at odds with the Trump administration's self-regulation stance, potentially shaping how US and UK rules develop.