UK plans £220m for AI security and biosecurity

The UK government outlined plans on Saturday to spend £220 million on artificial intelligence security and biosecurity measures, saying stronger protection is needed as AI systems become more capable.

The package, due to be included in Wednesday's budget update, includes an additional £120 million for Britain's AI Security Institute, which tests the most powerful AI models before they are released. The government also said it would invest £100 million to create a national AI Biosecurity Lab to use AI to detect and track biological threats.

The government said economic gains from AI depended on critical infrastructure, public services and businesses being resilient to cyber, biological and emerging AI-enabled threats. AI minister Kanishka Narayan said Britain needed to stay ahead of threats including cyberattacks and biological risks.

The plans also include investment in AI tools to identify cyber vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure.