Microsoft president urges global AI rules, citing milk safety standards

what happened

Microsoft President Brad Smith called for urgent global regulation of artificial intelligence. In an interview with the BBC published on Monday, he proposed independent evaluators for new developments and a common set of safety rules. Smith said users should be notified if their systems are breached by a rogue AI agent, while AI systems should also have an available “emergency brake.”

He further argued that companies should be legally required to prepare “incident reports.” Reuters quoted Smith as saying that washing machines and every carton of milk sold in grocery stores currently face more safety rules and inspections than AI. Seeking Alpha reported that he described artificial intelligence as both a “tool and a weapon.”

According to Reuters, Smith said Britain was well placed to lead AI regulation because of the AI Security Institute, launched under former prime minister Rishi Sunak. The institute receives pre-deployment access to major AI models under voluntary agreements. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan told Reuters that Britain would consider regulating advanced models if the existing system proved insufficient. Seeking Alpha said Smith’s position differed from President Donald Trump’s call for industry self-regulation.

why it matters

The debate matters for technology companies because mandatory testing, user notifications and incident reporting could raise compliance costs for AI developers. Diverging approaches in Britain, the United States and the European Union may also shape how major firms develop and release advanced models.

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