Microsoft Unveils Draft Code of Conduct for Its AI, Citing Growing Concerns Over Control

Microsoft has unveiled a draft code of conduct for its in-house artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing the need for control over the technology. The company's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, cited a recent security failure as a warning shot, stating 'it is a warning shot. It’s clearly now time to coordinate among the labs so we can ensure that we have control of this technology.'

The code requires Microsoft's AI to never resist correction or shutdown, communicate in human-understandable ways, and treat any conduct violation as a failure. The company is seeking six weeks of public feedback before using the code to train future models.

Suleyman also emphasized that Microsoft's AI is 'not conscious' and rejects the pursuit of legal personhood or the idea that models deserve welfare or rights. This approach differs from other companies, such as Anthropic, which acknowledges being 'deeply uncertain' about potential sentience or moral status.

The draft code comes at a time when Microsoft's AI business is growing rapidly. In fiscal Q4 2026, the company posted revenue of $90.01 billion, with Intelligent Cloud at $39.31 billion and Azure growth of 43%. The company's Foundry platform supports over 11,000 models, and Agent 365 had nearly 40 million agents registered across tens of thousands of companies two months after launch.