Microsoft’s Brad Smith urges binding global AI safety rules

Microsoft President Brad Smith is calling for binding global rules to govern artificial intelligence, including mandatory incident reports, notice to people affected by rogue AI agents and emergency controls to pause or slow systems. His proposals have not been adopted as law. In a BBC interview published Monday, October 12, Smith argued that AI faces fewer safety requirements than everyday products such as milk and washing machines. He said companies should be legally required to report incidents when AI systems go wrong and notify organizations or victims whose systems are breached by rogue agents. He also urged rules for independent assessments of advanced AI before release and mechanisms that would let authorized people intervene if a system behaves unexpectedly. Smith described voluntary industry commitments as a useful step but insufficient on their own. Such pledges, he argued, may be followed by responsible developers without ensuring that less responsible companies meet comparable standards. The proposals concern safeguards for systems that can act in ways their operators did not intend; the reports do not establish that global legal requirements are in place.