Microsoft president: AI less regulated than milk — SkimNews
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- Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said in a BBC podcast that milk cartons and washing machines are currently subject to more safety rules than AI, calling AI both "a tool and a weapon" that urgently needs regulating.
- Smith proposed specific measures: legal obligation to notify victims of breaches by rogue AI agents, mandatory "incident reports," "emergency brakes" or kill switches, and independent government evaluators vetting new AI products before release.
- Smith said the UK is best placed to lead global AI rules thanks to its AI Security Institute launched under former PM Rishi Sunak, arguing the US views UK standards more favorably than Brussels-driven EU regulation.
- Smith's remarks contrast with President Donald Trump, who has said the AI sector should self-regulate so US firms don't fall behind Chinese rivals, declaring "whoever wins AI, wins."
- Trump hosted leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta, and Google at the White House last month, where executives signed a "morally binding" document committing to independent AI audits.
- Smith endorsed the White House statement as "a good step" but said self-regulation is no longer "sufficient" because "the companies that are not as responsible" are the ones any voluntary regime fails to constrain.
Why it matters: Microsoft's call for binding AI rules puts the world's most valuable tech firm publicly at odds with President Trump's hands-off approach, spotlighting a fault line between self-regulation advocates and those demanding government-mandated safeguards. Smith's endorsement of UK-led standards rather than EU-style rules gives Britain a concrete path to shape global AI governance — and gives Microsoft a friendlier regulator than Brussels.
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