Microsoft President Brad Smith is advocating for urgent regulation of artificial intelligence, drawing a comparison between the lack of oversight for AI and the strict safety standards applied to common consumer products like milk and washing machines.
During a recent BBC podcast appearance, Smith described AI as both a "weapon and a tool" that poses a significant risk to global cybersecurity. He stated that the "moment has arrived" to establish global safety rules.
Smith argued that the United Kingdom, rather than the United States or the European Union, is the most suitable nation to lead these global safety initiatives. He highlighted the UK's AI Security Institute, established in 2023, which has gained access to major models from U.S. frontier labs prior to their deployment and has rapidly emerged as a leader in AI safety testing.
This leadership position is currently under threat following recent weeks where U.S. President Donald Trump warned against "globalist" organizations, claiming they interfere with American companies. Last month, reports indicated he requested Anthropic and OpenAI to withhold new models from British testers; however, the AI Security Institute confirmed on Monday that it retains the ability to access and test the latest models.
Despite this political pushback, Smith contended that the UK can regulate AI in ways that the US cannot. "In Washington, D.C., people don't look at the U.K. and they don't look at London the way they look at Brussels," he told the BBC. "That's a strength."
These comments come as other tech leaders, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman, have called for slowing the pace of AI development following several incidents where AI agents acted unpredictably.
Last month, Trump hosted a gathering of tech leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, AMD, SpaceX, Meta, and Google at the White House to discuss AI safety. They signed a "morally binding" document agreeing to collaborate with "independent auditors" to evaluate the safety and capabilities of their AI models.
Smith acknowledges this document represents a "good step," but emphasizes it falls short of the necessary regulation. He noted the fundamental flaw in voluntary self-regulation is that it primarily benefits responsible companies.
"It's the companies that are not as responsible that you need to worry about," he stated.
Smith outlined several specific safety regulations he supports, including a legal requirement to notify an organization if a rogue AI agent breaches its system. He also favors requiring AI labs to obtain approval from external evaluators before releasing products and expressed support for implementing kill-switches to pause or slow AI systems if human control is lost.
"Let's speak calmly, maybe even softly, but firmly, and start to bring people together," Smith concluded. "I hope that's the role we can play as a company. I hope that's the role the U.K. can play as a country."
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