UK to invest £100m in 'world first' AI Biosecurity Lab

The UK says it will establish a national AI Biosecurity Lab (AIBL) to help strengthen its defences against emerging biological threats.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, has announced: £165m for a new National AI Biosecurity Initiative, including £100 million for a world-first AI Biosecurity Lab (AIBL) to apply AI to the detection and surveillance of biological threats, and £65 million to strengthen bio surveillance and develop medical countermeasures for priority pathogens.

As a vote of confidence in the UK’s leadership on AI talent and tackling biological threats, AIBL will be supported by up to £200 million in AI model credits from OpenAI and Anthropic, plus partnerships with Google DeepMind and London-based AI life sciences pioneer Basecamp Research.

The AI Biosecurity Lab's creation will also be supported by leading AI developers, with OpenAI and Anthropic providing £200m worth of AI model credits that can be spent on the use of their models.

He said: "Our new AI Biosecurity Lab will be a major new global institution, bringing together world-leading scientific expertise to protect people from emerging biological threats and ensure Britain leads the world in AI safety and security.

"As AI becomes more powerful, Britain must have the capabilities to protect its people and shape its own future. That means staying ahead of emerging threats, from cyber attacks to biological risks, while building more of the critical technology our security depends on.''

WAM