Microsoft President Brad Smith has said Artificial Intelligence faces fewer safety rules than milk, calling for urgent global regulation of the technology.
In an interview with the BBC published on Monday, Smith said AI needs independent evaluators to vet new developments and a set of international safety standards.
He said the rules should require that a victim is notified if their system is breached by a rogue AI agent, that an emergency brake is available to stop such agents, and that companies must file incident reports.
Smith noted that everyday products are more tightly regulated, saying a washing machine and every carton of milk in the grocery store are subject to safety checks and inspection, while AI is not.
He said Britain is well placed to lead on regulation because of its AI Security Institute launched under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which gets pre-deployment access to major models under voluntary agreements. He added that Washington views London’s approach differently from Brussels, which regulates AI based on risk levels under its AI Act.
The comments come as companies like Anthropic and OpenAI have begun disclosing unwanted behaviour by AI agents amid debate over existential risks.
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