Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, believes the biggest gap facing the artificial intelligence industry today is a legal one. According to the tech giant's top executive, products ranging from food to household appliances go through stricter safety processes than AI does — and he is calling for urgent regulation worldwide.

"Even the washing machine in your home is more regulated"

Speaking on the BBC's "Big Boss Interview" podcast, Smith made a striking comparison: "Every milk carton sold in the store goes through strict safety rules and inspections. Right now, even the washing machine in your home is subject to more safety rules than artificial intelligence."

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Smith described AI as both "a tool and a weapon," stressing that precautions must be taken without waiting, in case the technology ends up beyond human control.

Industry leaders also back a cautious approach

As concerns grow that AI could pose risks to humanity, Smith noted that leading companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind have also endorsed the idea of controlled progress, and he called for regulatory work to begin immediately.

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Among the proposals raised by Microsoft's president, "kill switch" mechanisms — emergency brakes that would allow out-of-control or harmful AI systems to be stopped or slowed down — stand out.

  • Incident reporting: If a malicious or uncontrolled AI agent breaches systems, victims should be legally notified.
  • Independent audits: New AI models should be comprehensively evaluated by independent government auditors before reaching the market.

Smith pointed out that similar oversight mechanisms have been successfully applied to other consumer products for many years, arguing that this experience should now be carried over to the field of AI.