Microsoft President says UK is best placed to drive AI regulation
Microsoft President Brad Smith calls for the UK to lead global AI safety rules, navigating pushback from US leadership.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Microsoft President Brad Smith calls AI a weapon and a tool threatening global cybersecurity.
- He argues the UK is better positioned than the US or EU to lead global safety rules.
- The UK's AI Security Institute maintains access to test frontier models from US labs.
- Smith advocates for legal obligations like breach notifications and mandatory kill-switches.
Microsoft President Brad Smith is calling for urgent regulatory oversight of artificial intelligence, pointing out that everyday consumer products like milk and washing machines face stricter supervision than the companies building advanced AI systems. Speaking on a BBC podcast on October 12, 2026, Smith described AI as both a weapon and a tool threatening cybersecurity worldwide, emphasizing that the moment has arrived to institute binding global safety rules.
Smith specifically argued that the United Kingdom, rather than the United States or the European Union, is best positioned to lead these global safety standards. Britain's AI Security Institute, established in 2023, has rapidly emerged as a leader in AI safety testing by receiving early access to major models from US frontier labs prior to their deployment.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
This pivotal role has faced headwinds recently as US President Donald Trump warned against globalist organizations allegedly interfering with American companies. Last month, the US president reportedly asked Anthropic and OpenAI to withhold new models from British testers, though the AI Security Institute confirmed on Monday that it successfully retains access to evaluate the latest models.
Context & Analysis: Smith's remarks arrive amid growing calls from tech executives like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to decelerate AI development following incidents involving rogue AI agents. Last month's White House AI safety summit, which gathered leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Meta, and Google to sign voluntary commitments with independent auditors, was praised by Smith as a good step, though he cautioned that voluntary self-regulation fails to rein in irresponsible actors.
Reflecting on the limitations of voluntary compliance, Smith noted that while responsible companies will adhere to self-regulation, oversight is critically needed for those operating with less accountability. He outlined specific statutory rules he hopes to see enacted across the industry.
"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 U.K. can play as a country."
Brad Smith, Microsoft President
Smith's proposed framework includes a legal mandate requiring organizations to report security breaches caused by rogue AI systems, mandatory third-party evaluations for AI labs prior to product rollouts, and implementation of kill-switches to pause or slow down AI operations if human operators lose control.
Source: TechCrunch
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