UK government announces £600 million to protect against AI threats — Channel NewsAsia

The UK government has announced funding of around £600 million, aimed primarily at protection against health and safety threats related to artificial intelligence. This was reported by Channel NewsAsia.

Biosafety and infrastructure protection

The largest share of the funds will be directed to a new biosafety initiative. In particular, £100 million is earmarked for a laboratory that will use AI to detect biological threats, while another £65 million will go toward developing tools to counter pathogens.

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said that the AI Biosecurity Lab should become a major global institution that will bring together scientific expertise to protect people from new biological threats. OpenAI and Anthropic will offer the initiative up to £200 million in model-use credits, while Google DeepMind and London startup Basecamp Research will provide other support.

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Cybersecurity and research

The UK’s AI Security Institute will receive an additional £120 million. Another £130 million will be allocated to projects to strengthen the cyber protection of critical infrastructure and the economy, including the National Cyber Shield and the National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre.

In addition, £60 million is planned for a fund to invest in British companies using AI in robotics, autonomous systems and manufacturing. The same amount is designated for AI research and procurement contracts. Separately, £23 million will go toward studying the technology’s economic impact, £18 million toward a chip design academy, and £15 million toward a prize for AI-based solutions to public policy problems, primarily in healthcare.

Regional mayors will receive £30 million to support local AI projects. The National Cyber Security Centre will also receive funding to expand in Manchester, but the amount was not specified.