UK best placed to lead on global AI safety rules, Microsoft president says

Jessica Coates, Press Association

The UK is in the “best position” to lead the development of artificial intelligence (AI) safety standards, the president of Microsoft has said.

Speaking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview, Brad Smith pointed to the work of Britain’s AI Security Institute as evidence of the UK’s expertise in assessing the safety of the emerging technology.

“I actually think the country and the government that is in the best position to advance AI safety standards and even rules is here, it’s the United Kingdom,” he said.

The institute, set up under former prime minister Rishi Sunak in 2023, researches potential risks, tests advanced AI systems and works with the Government and technology firms to improve safety standards.

Mr Smith argued the institute’s work meant Britain had kept better pace with the technology than the US.

“In the world of technology, in the tech sector, most people that I know would say, if you ask them, name the country that is the leader in having this technical capability, they would say, it’s very simple. It’s the United Kingdom,” he said.

“They are the best.”

His comments come after reports the White House had reversed a ban on UK access to the latest AI models for safety testing.

Washington had asked major companies, including Anthropic and OpenAI, to withhold access to their models from the AI Security Institute.

The move led Anthropic to stop UK officials from reviewing its new Claude Mythos 5.1 chatbot.

The US reversed course after lobbying from AI minister Kanishka Narayan, The Telegraph reported.

Mr Smith also suggested Britain’s relationship with Washington could help it secure support for international AI safety standards.

“In Washington DC, people don’t look at the UK and they don’t look at London the way they look at Brussels,” he said.

“That’s a strength.”

Meanwhile, Mr Narayan is expected to warn of the growing risks posed by increasingly powerful AI in a speech on Monday and call for companies to do more to ensure their systems are safe and secure.

He will announce new steps the UK is taking to strengthen its cyber defences and make the case that the country needs to develop more technology itself to have a greater say over how AI shapes the future.

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