Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control

The "Humanist AI Code of Conduct" will be published before the end of the year and guide development of Microsoft AI (MAI) models

By WAM Published: 2026-09-15T05:54:00+04:00 1 min read
Microsoft said its Code of Conduct is motivated by a single overriding objective: that humans must retain meaningful control over AI so that it can help people live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. File photograph.
Microsoft said its Code of Conduct is motivated by a single overriding objective: that humans must retain meaningful control over AI so that it can help people live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. File photograph.

Washington: Microsoft on Monday released a 37-page draft ''Humanist AI Code of Conduct'' to make sure future artificial intelligence stays under human control and never resists being shut down.

The company said the "Humanist AI Code of Conduct" will take into account feedback it receives on the draft over the next six weeks, which will be incorporated into the revised version to be published before the end of the year and guide development of Microsoft AI (MAI) models.

The principles in the document will "guide our model development in 2027 and beyond," and Microsoft's announcement said it will undertake "similar consultation processes as we develop new versions of the Code of Conduct over time."

"This Code of Conduct is motivated by a single overriding objective: that humans must retain meaningful control over AI so that it can help people live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. It is the primary governing document informing how we train MAI Models, the technical controls, the operational and monitoring systems we implement, and the organisational culture that underpins all of this," the company wrote.

"At Microsoft AI, we begin with a simple premise: people matter more than AI. Technology's purpose is to advance human civilization and to accelerate human flourishing. Science and technology have been the engine of human progress for millennia, delivering immense benefits to billions of people," the company said.