Google’s James Manyika calls for shared responsibility in AI regulation

One of Google’s top executives says AI is risky, needs regulation, and that the job of regulating it can’t fall on any single group. That’s a notable message from a company that builds some of the most powerful AI models on the market. James Manyika, Google’s senior vice president overseeing research and technology, made the case in an interview that aired on October 2, 2026. His argument was simple: everyone who touches AI owns a piece of the safety problem. “AI’s risks are real, regulation is necessary and responsibility has to be shared across industry, government and society.” Who owns the safety problem Manyika drew a clear line on accountability. Companies building frontier AI models, the most advanced and capable systems, should be responsible for making them safe. But he didn’t stop at the labs. He argued that deployers, users and policymakers all have roles to play too. Manyika also pushed back on the idea that industry should wait for government to set the rules first. He said waiting for President Trump to regulate AI made little sense, and argued that voluntary industry efforts should run in parallel with whatever governments eventually put in place. The voluntary accor...