In a BBC interview published October 12, Microsoft president Brad Smith argued that AI systems face fewer safety requirements than everyday consumer products such as milk cartons and washing machines. He said voluntary self-regulation is no longer enough at the current scale of deployment.

Smith set out five proposals: global safety rules that apply across jurisdictions, mandatory incident reporting, notification for victims when a system is breached or misused, independent evaluators reviewing some products before release, and an emergency-brake mechanism for halting a dangerous system.

The interview extends the position Microsoft's leadership has been building this month, after CEO Satya Nadella separately called for an emergency brake for frontier models. None of Smith's proposals is law yet; each would need action by governments or an international agreement.