Microsoft president says AI less regulated than milk

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, has told the BBC that milk and washing machines are more regulated than artificial intelligence, and global safety rules are needed.

Talking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, Smith said that AI was both a “tool and a weapon”. He said that global safety rules should be put in place, including an obligation to tell someone if their system is hacked by an AI agent. He also argued that independent evaluators should decide whether a company’s AI platform is safe before it is released.

“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,” Smith told the podcast.

He said that artificial intelligence companies should have “emergency brakes”, or ‘kill switches’, to stop AI if it got out of control. He argued that the need for regulation was urgent, saying, “Let’s get started today”. “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.”

His comments come as there are increasing calls for regulation and safeguards over artificial intelligence platforms. Last month representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceXAI, Meta, and Google met with President Trump to sign an agreement to self-regulate their AI development. President Trump has been reluctant to slow down the progress of AI, saying “whoever wins AI, wins” when it comes to competition with China. Smith said that Microsoft is “happy to sign” the agreement, saying “It's a good step, it's a necessary step... But I don't think it's sufficient any longer.”

Smith argued that the UK is best placed to implement global rules for AI safety because of its AI Security Institute. “In the world of technology, in the tech sector,” Smith said, “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. It's the United Kingdom. They are the best.”

"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. I would say: The moment has arrived,” Smith added. “Let's speak calmly, maybe even softly, but firmly, and start to bring people together. I hope that's the role we can play as a company. I hope that's the role the UK can play as a country.”