Microsoft president Brad Smith has called on the artificial intelligence industry to stop treating regulation as something to be avoided, positioning the software giant as a more cooperative voice between the sector and policymakers.
The remarks, reported by Reuters, come amid growing scrutiny of how AI companies develop and deploy their systems, and mark a departure from the deregulatory posture many in the industry have favoured.
They also arrive alongside separate reporting that Microsoft is pursuing significant cost reductions within its Azure cloud business.
The company's cloud president has asked leaders within the division to identify cuts of 20%, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter cited by The Information.
Azure underpins much of Microsoft's AI infrastructure, making the cost discipline exercise relevant to how the company balances its public advocacy for AI governance against the commercial pressures of running the compute-intensive systems that any such governance would cover.
