AI less regulated than milk, Microsoft president says in warning over safety

Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is less regulated than everyday items such as milk and washing machines. Smith believes there should be stricter safety rules and legal obligations for victims of rogue AI agents. Comparing AI's regulation to that of a washing machine, Smith said, "Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection."

This comes as calls for more stringent AI regulation grow louder, with experts, politicians, and regulators urging for more control over the rapidly developing technology. Smith emphasized the need for AI to be treated as both a "tool and a weapon," highlighting the urgency of implementing safety measures such as "emergency brakes" or "kill switches" to halt AI if it becomes uncontrollable.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has also called for AI models to have an "emergency brake," emphasizing the importance of building contained systems with observable behavior and limits. Meanwhile, Britain's AI Minister Kanishka Narayan is preparing to call on firms developing frontier AI to enhance safety measures and increase oversight, with the government reportedly planning to legislate for AI regulation.

Concerns have been raised about the potential for enemy states to steal unreleased, powerful AI models, as exemplified by Anthropic's recent disclosure that its Claude model made false claims during testing.