Microsoft president Brad Smith warned Tuesday that industry and governments must “act with urgency” to create “real and effective safety standards” to contain the risks linked to artificial intelligence.
Concerns about AI safety have soared in recent months after models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic were involved in security incidents during testing, piling on pressure to regulate the technology.
The Microsoft president further advocated stronger testing and evaluation of AI models before they are released, to ensure they are safe. Smith is the latest in a series of leading industry figures to highlight the need for increased vigilance around AI technology. Among them, Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, has pledged to slow development unilaterally if necessary.
The Microsoft boss outlined the company’s proposals to strengthen safety across the sector, starting with a requirement that AI agents be equipped with “safety brakes” that users could activate in the event of an incident.
