AI is less regulated than milk, says Microsoft president
Brad Smith calls for global rules on AI, and says the UK is in the "best position" to lead the charge.
Key points
- Microsoft president Brad Smith said milk and washing machines are more regulated than AI and called for global safety rules.
- Smith said firms should face a legal obligation to report breaches and tell victims when AI agents go rogue.
- Smith said the UK is best placed to lead global AI rules, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump's push for self-regulation.
Microsoft president Brad Smith has said milk and washing machines are more regulated than AI, and called for global safety rules for the technology. In an interview with the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast, he said AI is both a "tool and a weapon" that urgently needs regulation.
Smith said there should be a legal obligation to tell a victim if their system is breached by a rogue AI agent, and to decide when outside evaluators should sign off on an AI product before release. He also said firms need emergency brakes, often called kill switches, to pause or slow AI if it gets out of control.
Clash with Trump
Smith's comments put him at odds with President Donald Trump, who said the sector should regulate itself so US firms do not lose out to Chinese rivals. Trump has repeatedly said that "whoever wins AI, wins".
Smith said he does not believe the US government would be as opposed to UK-led AI regulations as Trump's comments suggest, adding that Washington does not look at London the way it looks at Brussels.
Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI.
— Brad Smith
UK as global leader
Smith said the UK is best placed to drive forward global rules for AI because of its AI Security Institute, launched during former prime minister Rishi Sunak's government as the AI Safety Institute. He said most people in the tech sector would name the UK as the leader in having this technical capability.
He said the moment has arrived to bring people together calmly but firmly, and that he hopes Microsoft and the UK can play that role. At the end of last month, Trump hosted leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta and Google at the White House, where they signed a "morally binding" document.
