Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith has called for urgent global regulation of artificial intelligence, warning that the technology currently operates under fewer safety requirements than everyday goods.
In an interview with the BBC published on Monday, Smith said a set of global safety rules was needed. These would require a “victim” to be informed if their system is breached by a rogue AI agent, an “emergency brake” to be available, and companies to file “incident reports” by law.
“We know how to do this for other products,” Smith said, according to a report by Reuters on the matter, “We should build on that knowledge and think about how to apply it to AI.”
He argued the gap in oversight was stark. “Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection.”
The call comes as Anthropic, OpenAI, and other firms begin disclosing rogue or unintended behaviour by AI agents, part of a wider global debate that has included researchers’ warnings of an eventual existential threat to humanity. Some companies have urged a slowdown in development, prompting questions about whether executives have other motives, such as protecting their own lead, pre-empting a government backlash, or curbing spending, reports Reuters.
Smith said Britain was well placed to lead on regulation, pointing to the AI Security Institute launched under former prime minister Rishi Sunak. He noted that Washington regards London differently from Brussels, which regulates AI by risk level under its AI Act. Britain’s institute receives pre-deployment access to major models through voluntary agreements, allowing it to assess capabilities and risks. UK’s AI Minister Kanishka Narayan has told Reuters that Britain would consider regulating advanced models if the current approach proved insufficient.