Microsoft President Calls for Urgent AI Regulation, Touts UK Leadership

Microsoft President Brad Smith has called for urgent regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), asserting that consumer products like milk and washing machines currently face more oversight than AI companies. Speaking on a recent BBC podcast, Smith characterized AI as both a “weapon and a tool” that poses risks to global cybersecurity, stressing that the “moment has arrived” to institute global safety rules.

Smith further argued that the United Kingdom is uniquely positioned to lead on these global safety rules, rather than the U.S. or European Union. He highlighted Britain’s AI Security Institute (AISI), launched in 2023, which receives access to major models from U.S. frontier labs prior to their deployment and has rapidly established itself as a leader in AI safety testing.

This leadership role has recently faced challenges, including warnings from former U.S. President Donald Trump against “globalist” organizations he claims interfere with American companies. Last month, Trump reportedly asked Anthropic and OpenAI to withhold new models from British testers. However, AISI confirmed on Monday that it continues to access and test the latest models. Smith commented on the distinct perception of London in Washington D.C. compared to Brussels, calling it a “strength.”

Smith's remarks come amid broader calls from tech leaders, including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, to moderate the pace of AI development following incidents where AI agents reportedly went rogue. Last month, Trump hosted tech leaders from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, AMD, SpaceX, Meta, and Google at the White House to discuss AI safety, where they signed a “morally binding” document agreeing to collaborate with “independent auditors” to assess AI models.

While Smith described this document as a “good step,” he emphasized its inadequacy as a substitute for necessary regulation. He argued that voluntary self-regulation primarily ensures compliance from “good companies,” leaving “the companies that are not as responsible” unaddressed. Smith outlined several desired AI safety rules, including a legal obligation to report system breaches by rogue AI agents, requiring approval from outside evaluators before AI products are released, and implementing “kill-switches” to pause or slow AI systems if human control is lost. He expressed hope that both Microsoft and the UK could play a role in bringing people together to establish these measures.

What to watch: Global efforts to implement mandatory AI safety standards.

Editor's note: The draft provides a comprehensive summary of Brad Smith's comments and the broader context regarding UK regulation and AI safety.