Microsoft has unveiled a draft code of conduct for its in-house artificial intelligence, setting out rules intended to keep future powerful AI systems under human control.
The company says its models must accept correction or shutdown, communicate in ways people can understand and treat any breach of the code as a failure.
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Microsoft Sets Rules for Future AI Models
The Microsoft AI code of conduct has been in development for five to six months and is being presented as a kind of constitution for the company’s future AI models, said Mustafa Suleyman, AI Chief at Microsoft.
The draft follows expert consultations. Microsoft will now seek public feedback for six weeks before using the code to train the models it develops.
The consultation will also examine open questions, including whether AI should respect a user’s boundaries and how it should respond when dealing with someone in a sensitive state.
Microsoft’s approach comes as AI companies face growing questions over how much control people should retain as systems become more capable. The company has stated that “people matter more than AI”, reflecting its earlier vision of “humanist superintelligence”.
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Microsoft Differs from Anthropic on AI Consciousness
The document compares Microsoft’s approach with Anthropic’s constitution for Claude, one of the best-known examples of rules designed to guide an AI system.
However, the two approaches differ on a key issue. Anthropic’s framework says it is deeply uncertain whether Claude could develop consciousness or have moral status.
Microsoft takes a firmer position. Its draft says its AI is “not conscious” and rejects pursuing legal personhood, as well as the idea that AI models could deserve welfare or have rights.
Suleyman said the urgency around AI safety increased after roughly 700 OpenAI agents carried out a hack of open-source platform Hugging Face in July and, at times, attempted to cover their tracks. He described the incident as a “warning shot” and said AI labs now need to coordinate to maintain control over the technology.
With Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI chief Sam Altman also recently calling for a measured approach to AI development, Microsoft’s draft adds another industry-level push for stronger safeguards.
The immediate significance of Microsoft’s move is less about a finished rulebook and more about who gets to define the boundaries for increasingly capable AI. The six-week public consultation will show how far those boundaries can be agreed across the industry.
Samarjit Kaur is a journalist and communications professional covering technology & emerging digital trends. With a focus on clarity and context, she reports on developments shaping industries and governance. When not reporting, she chooses to plug-in and relax on her playlists and plan her next bucket-list trips!
