Microsoft’s Brad Smith calls for AI rules, noting milk faces more regulation than tech

Microsoft’s MSFT president called for urgent global regulation of artificial intelligence, advocating for independent evaluators to assess new developments and warning that AI faces fewer safety standards than milk.

In an interview with the BBC published on ‌Monday, Brad Smith said a set of global safety rules needed to be in place, requiring a "victim" to be informed if their system is breached by a rogue AI agent ​and an "emergency brake" available.

His comments put him at odds with President Donald Trump, who said the sector should regulate itself so US firms don't lose out to Chinese rivals.

Smith said: "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."

He said there should also be a legal requirement ​for companies to write "incident reports". "We know how to do this ⁠for other products," Smith said. "We should build on that knowledge and think about ​how to apply it to AI."

The bosses of the US-based AI giants such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind have all backed the idea of an AI development slowdown, but Trump has pushed against this.

Speaking to the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast, Smith called AI both a "tool and a weapon" that urgently needed to be regulated.