UK unveils £100 million AI biosecurity lab to spot threats
The UK just announced a £100 million investment in a first-of-its-kind national AI Biosecurity Lab.
Revealed during the budget, the lab aims to spot and tackle new biological threats.
John Healey says this move will help share the benefits of AI across society while keeping the country safer.
UK funds AI security institute £120m
Alongside the lab, the government is putting £120 million into an AI Security Institute to check risks from the most advanced and powerful models.
There is also fresh cash for a National Cyber Shield using agentic AI to boost digital defenses, plus the National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (NERV) Centre focused on detecting cyber vulnerabilities across the U.K.'s critical infrastructure and economy.
These steps come as worries grow over software flaws like those found in PHP, showing how serious the UK is about protecting its digital and real-world systems.