Microsoft President Advocates Urgent AI Regulation with UK Leadership
Microsoft President Brad Smith emphasized the need for urgent global regulation of artificial intelligence, comparing it to consumer products that already have significant oversight. Speaking on a BBC podcast, he argued that while AI is both powerful and risky, especially in terms of cybersecurity, there's an opportunity now to establish safety rules before problems escalate. Smith highlighted the United Kingdom as being uniquely positioned to lead global AI regulation due to its recent establishment of the AI Security Institute (AISI), which has become a leader in testing AI models. This leadership role is under scrutiny following U.S. President Donald Trump's reported request for companies like Anthropic and OpenAI not to share new models with British testers, though AISI confirmed continued access. Despite calls from tech leaders such as Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic to slow AI development due to safety concerns, Smith criticized voluntary self-regulation efforts. He suggested that mandatory regulations are necessary to ensure even less responsible companies comply with safety standards.
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Topics: AI regulation cybersecurity global governance tech leadership