Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, told the BBC that artificial intelligence is less regulated than everyday products like washing machines and milk. He called for global safety rules, including legal requirements for companies to inform victims if their AI system is breached by a rogue agent and to have independent government evaluators vet new AI technology before release. Smith’s views contrast with those of President Donald Trump, who advocates self-regulation in the industry to maintain U.S. competitiveness against Chinese rivals.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In an interview with the BBC, Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, emphasized the urgent need for global safety regulations on artificial intelligence (AI), stating that products like washing machines and milk are currently more heavily regulated than AI technologies. Smith argued that there should be legal obligations to inform victims if their systems are compromised by rogue AI agents and standards for outside evaluations before an AI product is released. He criticized President Donald Trump's stance, which advocates for self-regulation in the tech sector to maintain a competitive edge against Chinese rivals. Despite this, leaders of major US-based AI companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind have expressed support for slowing down AI development due to safety concerns. Smith stressed that AI poses both potential benefits and risks, describing it as "a tool and a weapon" requiring immediate regulatory attention.
Written for “AI Regulation Debate” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.50, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 3 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 72915: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-11
- Published
Milk and washing machines are currently more regulated than AI, the president of Microsoft has said.
asserted
president → publish → Microsoft
Brad Smith said there needed to be global safety rules in place, including a legal obligation to tell a "victim" if their system is breached by a rogue AI agent as well as deciding when outside evaluators should sign off on an AI product before it is released.
asserted
it → say → product
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.
asserted
firms → put → rivals
But Smith said: "Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI.
asserted
machine → say → AI
Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection."
asserted
you → see → rules
Demands for laws and rules to control AI have grown after experts in the sector said they believed the technology its a threat to humanity.
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, Smith called AI both a "tool and a weapon" that urgently needed to be regulated.
asserted
that → control → AI
"Let's get started today," he said.
asserted
he → let → ?
He said firms need "emergency brakes" – often known in the industry as 'kill switches' – to pause or slowdown AI if it got out of control in some way.
asserted
it → say → way
He also said there should be a legal requirement for firms to write "incident reports" and tell victims if the technology goes rogue.
asserted
technology → say → victims
He also suggested that independent government evaluators should vet new AI technology.
uncertain
evaluators → suggest → technology
"We know how to do this for other products," Smith said.
asserted
Smith → know → products
"We should build on that knowledge and think about how to apply it to AI."
asserted
We → build → AI
Smith said the UK was best placed to drive forward these global rules for AI because of its AI Security Institute, external, launched during former prime minister Rishi Sunak's government as the AI Safety Institute.
asserted
UK → say → Institute
"In the world of technology, in the tech sector, most people that I know would say, if you ask them, name the country that is the leader in having this technical capability, they would say, it's very simple.
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it → know → capability
'The moment has arrived'
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moment → arrive → ?
Smith's views are very different to those of his president, who believes the US should be going full-steam ahead on AI.
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US → believe → AI
Trump has repeatedly said that "whoever wins AI, wins".
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wins → say → AI
However, Smith does not believe the US government would be as opposed to UK-led AI regulations as Trump's comments make it seem, suggesting the US would be more accepting of the UK making standards than the EU.
"In Washington DC, people don't look at the UK and they don't look at London the way they look at Brussels – that's a strength," he said.
asserted
he → believe → Brussels
"When you look at AI agents that have escaped human control, when you look at models that are so powerful that they're putting the world's cybersecurity at risk.
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they → look → risk
I would say: The moment has arrived.
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moment → say → ?
"Let's speak calmly, maybe even softly, but firmly, and start to bring people together.
asserted
's → let → people
I hope that's the role we can play as a company.
asserted
we → hope → company
I hope that's the role the UK can play as a country."
asserted
UK → hope → country
At the end of last month, Trump hosted the leaders of US tech giants OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta, and Google at the White House where the executives signed a "morally binding" document.
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executives → host → document
The companies agreed to work with "independent auditors" to assess whether their AI systems are working as intended and make sure they do not "hack or access technical systems in unintended ways".
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they → agree → ways
Smith said he applauds the statement and Microsoft is "happy to sign it".
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Microsoft → say → it
But I don't think it's sufficient any longer."
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it → think → ?
He added that the challenge for any "self-regulatory regime" is that "the good companies will do what you want".
asserted
you → add → what
"It's the companies that are not as responsible that you need to worry about."
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you → need → that
The Aporia
