Microsoft's Brad Smith Calls for Global AI Safety Rules
Microsoft president urges breach notifications, pre-release model reviews and emergency brakes in a BBC interview.
Microsoft President Brad Smith called for stronger global safety rules for artificial intelligence, including legal requirements for companies to notify victims when their systems are breached by rogue AI agents and to report safety incidents, according to gizmodo.com.
In an interview with the BBC, Smith also said rules are needed to determine when independent evaluators should review new AI models before release, and he called for "emergency brakes" or kill switches to stop AI systems that go rogue.
His remarks come after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a post on X on Saturday that AI models should have emergency brakes allowing humans to pause or shut them down mid-task.
Smith said the United Kingdom could be a good place to start developing global AI safety standards, pointing to its AI Security Institute.
The push for binding rules contrasts with the approach favored by President Donald Trump, who has largely advocated for the AI industry to regulate itself, arguing too much regulation could put the U.S. at a disadvantage in the AI race against China. At a White House meeting on September 29, executives from Google, Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI and Nvidia signed a voluntary agreement outlining limited AI safety standards, which Trump called "morally binding."
Quick answers
What did Microsoft President Brad Smith propose?
He called for legal requirements for companies to notify victims of breaches by rogue AI agents and to report safety incidents, rules on when independent evaluators should review new models before release, and emergency brakes or kill switches for AI systems that go rogue.
Where did Smith suggest global AI safety standards could start?
He said the United Kingdom could be a good place to start, pointing to its AI Security Institute.
How does this compare with the Trump administration's stance?
President Donald Trump has largely advocated for the AI industry to regulate itself, arguing too much regulation could put the U.S. at a disadvantage against China.