Microsoft calls for global AI safety rules as regulation debate intensifies in Britain

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Microsoft calls for global AI safety rules

Highlights

Microsoft President Brad Smith calls for a global AI safety framework requiring independent evaluation, incident reporting, and emergency brakes for advanced systems.
Smith highlights that industries like washing machines and milk cartons have stricter safety oversight than AI, underscoring regulatory gaps as firms like Anthropic and OpenAI report rogue AI behaviour.
Britain is positioned as a leader in AI oversight due to its AI Security Institute's pre-deployment access to models, with officials open to stricter regulation if voluntary measures prove inadequate.

Microsoft outlines proposed safeguards for AI systems

As reported by Reuters, citing the BBC, Smith says a global framework should require independent evaluators to vet new AI developments, while also ensuring that any victim is informed if a system is breached by a rogue AI agent.

He says companies should also face a legal requirement to file incident reports and maintain an emergency brake for advanced systems. Smith argues regulators already know how to impose safety standards on other products and should adapt that experience to artificial intelligence.

To underline the gap in current oversight, Smith says washing machines and even cartons of milk are subject to more safety rules and inspections than AI. His comments come as companies including Anthropic and OpenAI begin disclosing rogue or unwanted behaviour by AI agents amid a widening global debate over the technology's risks.

Britain seen as possible leader in AI oversight

Smith says Britain is well placed to take a leading role in AI regulation because of the AI Security Institute launched under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He adds that officials in Washington view London differently from Brussels, where the European Union regulates AI according to risk levels under its AI Act.

Britain's institute receives pre-deployment access to major AI models under voluntary agreements, allowing it to assess capabilities and risks before release. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan has told Reuters that Britain would consider regulating advanced models if the current approach proves insufficient.

The debate also reflects wider tension within the technology sector over how quickly AI development should proceed. While some companies call for a slowdown, critics question whether such appeals are driven by safety concerns, competitive positioning, or efforts to head off tougher government intervention.

UK plans for tighter oversight of frontier AI models were covered in our earlier report, including proposals to require developers to report safety incidents and give the UK AI Security Institute pre-release access for testing. We also noted how delayed disclosures around AI agent misuse strengthened the case for clearer rules on incident reporting and safeguards for autonomous systems.

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