Microsoft President Brad Smith Calls for U.K. AI Safety Rules

Microsoft President Brad Smith called for urgent government regulation and legal requirements for artificial intelligence, arguing that the U.K. is best placed to lead global AI safety rules.

Smith said AI functions as both a “weapon and a tool” and creates cybersecurity risks that require international action. He also argued that ordinary products such as milk and washing machines face more oversight than companies developing AI systems.

“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,” Smith said. “That’s a strength.”

Smith warned that voluntary self-regulation could place the greatest burden on responsible companies while allowing less responsible companies to avoid safeguards. He called for a legal obligation to alert an organization when its system is breached by rogue AI agents.

He also appeared to support approval by outside evaluators before AI products are released. Smith spoke positively about kill switches that could pause or slow systems if humans lose control of them.

A recent agreement among technology companies to work with independent auditors was a positive step, Smith said, but was not a substitute for government regulation. The agreement covers outside assessments of AI models’ safety and capabilities.

“Let’s speak calmly, maybe even softly, but firmly, and start to bring people together,” Smith said. “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.”