The United Kingdom announced this Saturday (24) a package of approximately £600 million (US$ 800 million) to strengthen security, research, and the development of artificial intelligence. Among the main measures is the creation of a biosecurity lab that will have public funds and technological support from OpenAI and Anthropic.
The new AI Biosecurity Lab will receive £100 million from the British government to develop systems capable of identifying biological threats, anticipating health risks, and accelerating research into vaccines and treatments. The initiative is part of a £165 million national biosecurity program, of which another £65 million will go to biological surveillance and the development of measures against priority pathogens.
The government intends to use advanced AI models both to address the risks associated with the technology itself and to expand the capacity to respond to disease outbreaks.
OpenAI and Anthropic will contribute up to £200 million in technology credits and access to AI models, a commitment separate from public funding. OpenAI will provide £100 million in computing credits and models through the Rosalind Biodefense program, while Anthropic will offer up to £100 million in credits, access to models, and specialized technical support.
The lab will also have collaboration from Google DeepMind and the British company Basecamp Research. The partnerships will involve scientific research tools and models specialized in biology.
According to the government, the institution will operate as an independent, nonprofit organization, in collaboration with national health, defense, and biosecurity agencies. Its first activities will focus on early detection of threats and the development of medical countermeasures.
British AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the intention is to turn the lab into an international institution capable of bringing together scientific experts to protect the population from emerging biological threats.
The package also expands cyber defenses and AI research
Beyond biosecurity, the government will allocate an additional £120 million to the AI Security Institute, responsible for research and assessments of risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence systems.
Another £130 million will fund cybersecurity initiatives. Of that total, £60 million will go to the National Cyber Shield, a project that will use AI agents to strengthen digital defenses, while £70 million will support a center dedicated to identifying vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
The package also provides an additional £60 million for investments in British AI companies, £60 million for research and development contracts, and £18 million for a chip design academy.
The announcement is part of the economic strategy of Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, who is expected to present more details of the measures in the British budget scheduled for the following week.
