Microsoft president Brad Smith warns AI is less regulated than milk and calls for urgent 'kill switches'

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, has put himself at odds with President Trump by demanding immediate global regulation of artificial intelligence, warning that washing machines and cartons of milk face stricter safety rules than AI systems worth trillions of dollars. Smith told the BBC that firms need legal obligations to notify "victims" when rogue AI agents breach their systems, independent government evaluators to vet new AI technology, and "emergency brakes" to halt AI if it spirals out of control. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella separately called for an "emergency brake" on AI models at the weekend.

Trump has told the industry to self-regulate so US firms do not lose ground to Chinese rivals, putting him directly at odds with his own tech sector's leadership.

Smith singled out the UK as "best positioned" to lead global AI governance, pointing to Britain's AI Security Institute as the natural vehicle for international rules.

The row erupts days after the Trump administration suspended Microsoft from a federal green card programme, with Vice President JD Vance accusing the firm of sacking Americans and replacing them with foreign workers.