UK government sets out £600m of AI security funding

Britain’s government set out about £600m (R13.32bn) of funding on Saturday largely geared towards defending against health and security threats from artificial intelligence (AI).

The biggest chunk of funding will go to a new biosecurity initiative, including £100m (R2.22bn) for a laboratory using AI to detect biological threats and £65m (R1.44bn) to develop countermeasures against pathogens.

AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the aim was for the AI Biosecurity Lab to become a major global institution “bringing together world-leading scientific expertise to protect people from emerging biological threats”.

Tech companies OpenAI and Anthropic will offer up to £200m (R4.44bn) of model credits to the biosecurity initiative.

Google DeepMind and a London-based AI life sciences startup Basecamp Research will offer other assistance.

Britain’s government will give its existing AI Security Institute an extra £120m (R2.66bn).

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre will receive an unspecified sum to expand in Manchester.

Anthropic alone racked up more than $12bn (R199.1bn) in operating expenses last year.