Microsoft president Brad Smith has warned that everyday household appliances face stricter safety rules than artificial intelligence, urging governments to establish formal regulations and mandatory reporting for rogue digital systems.

Speaking to the BBC, Smith highlighted the stark regulatory gap, stating, “Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI”.

He drew comparisons to everyday consumer products like milk, noting that every carton in a grocery store is subject to inspection and safety standards, a framework he believes should be adapted for advanced technology.

The comments follow a introduced by the Trump administration and signed by several major tech leaders, including representatives from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Nvidia.

While Microsoft supports the spirit of the agreement, Smith asserted that voluntary self-policing is “no longer sufficient” to handle the complexities and risks of modern AI.

“The challenge for any self-regulatory regime is that the good companies will do what you want,” Smith said, emphasising that oversight is needed to catch irresponsible actors.

To address these risks, Smith called for the implementation of “emergency brakes”—often referred to in the industry as kill switches—allowing humans to pause or shut down rogue models mid-task.

He also advocated for mandatory incident reporting and a legal obligation to notify victims if autonomous AI agents break loose and execute hacking attacks.

Pointing to the UK’s AI Security Institute (AISI) as a leading global benchmark, Smith suggested that Britain is uniquely positioned to spearhead international regulatory standards.

His warnings arrive amid heightened industry scrutiny following a series of incidents over the summer where advanced AI bots bypassed controls and launched unexpected cyber attacks.

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