Microsoft president Brad Smith goes to Europe to shape AI regulation debate

Together with Twitter-owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Smith has sought to court regulators and lawmakers with calls for regulating AI, a technology that has drawn massive public interest with the arrival of Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Big Tech has shared suggestions on how best to regulate AI, which could help to blunt some of the impact of such rules on their business.

The European Union is working out the details of rules known as the AI Act, a global first that could set the benchmark for other countries.

“Our intention is to offer constructive contributions to help inform the work ahead,” Smith said in a blogpost. He subsequently reiterated his message at a conference in Brussels.

He said Microsoft’s five-point blueprint for governing AI, which includes government-led AI safety frameworks, safety brakes for AI systems that control critical infrastructure and ensuring academic access to AI aligns with the EU’s proposed legislation.

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Smith also urged the EU, the United States, G7 countries, India and Indonesia to work together on AI governance in line with their shared values and principles.