UK Sets Out £600 Million Plan to Counter AI-Linked Security Threats

Funding targets biosecurity and cyber defence

Britain’s government has set out about £600 million ($800 million) in funding aimed largely at addressing health and security threats associated with artificial intelligence, according to Reuters.

The largest allocation is for a new biosecurity initiative. The plan includes £100 million for a laboratory intended to use AI to detect biological threats and £65 million to develop countermeasures against pathogens. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the proposed AI Biosecurity Lab was intended to bring together scientific expertise to protect people from emerging biological threats.

OpenAI and Anthropic are expected to provide up to £200 million in model credits for the biosecurity initiative. Google DeepMind and UK life-sciences company Basecamp Research are also due to provide support, Reuters reported.

Wider technology and resilience measures

The government will provide an additional £120 million to its existing AI Security Institute. A further £130 million is earmarked for projects intended to strengthen cyber defences for critical infrastructure and the wider economy, including the National Cyber Shield and a vulnerability-monitoring centre.

The package also includes £60 million for a fund investing in UK companies working on AI, robotics, autonomous systems and manufacturing, and £60 million for AI research and procurement contracts. Other announced amounts include £23 million for research on AI’s economic impact, £18 million for a chip-design academy, £15 million for a public-policy AI prize initially focused on healthcare, and £30 million for regional AI work.

Reuters said the National Cyber Security Centre would receive an unspecified amount to expand in Manchester. The figures describe planned allocations, not completed spending.

Sources

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-government-sets-out-800-million-ai-security-funding-2026-10-23/