Microsoft publishes 37-page 'humanist' code of conduct after AI doom debate: 'This is urgent'

Microsoft AI CEO wrote that the code of conduct was "urgent." Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Microsoft published a code of conduct for its AI models.

AI leaders are debating the best way to keep the technology safe (and protect humanity from a possible doom).

"Things we have worried about for a long time in theory have become very real," wrote Microsoft AI's CEO.

Microsoft sums up its AI code of conduct in five words: "People matter more than AI." As the debate over whether AI could destroy humanity rages on, Microsoft AI on Monday released a draft of its 37-page code of conduct for its "humanist" AI models.

It includes basic principles for how the AI should think, act, and speak. (No "neuralese," please.) "This is urgent," wrote Mustafa Suleyman , CEO of Microsoft AI.

"The last few months have been a watershed moment.

Things we have worried about for a long time in theory have become very real." A series of worrying incidents, including a swarm of rogue OpenAI agents that hacked Hugging Face, has AI engineers and researchers ringing the alarm bell.

A high-profile Anthropic resignation cracked open a debate about AI safety — and a series of statements from the leading players .

Now, Microsoft has the mic and is laying out its view.

Inside Microsoft's code of conduct AI companies are locked into fierce competition.

Microsoft is intentionally placing barriers: "We're not racing to build a superintelligence that can slip its own leash." The code of conduct — which Suleyman called a "first draft for public consultation" — is divided into five parts.

Those include the models' safety constraints, their guidelines under uncertainty, and their defaults.

Microsoft established a hierarchy of command for its models.

At the top is the code of conduct, which cannot be broken.