LONDON, United Kingdom / EuroWire.IO / – The UK government will invest £100 million in a new AI Biosecurity Lab designed to use artificial intelligence to detect and track biological threats. Officials described it as the world’s first dedicated AI biosecurity organisation. The lab forms part of a £165 million National AI Biosecurity Initiative announced on October 24. A further £65 million will go to biological surveillance and countermeasures against dangerous pathogens.
Leading AI developers are also backing the lab. OpenAI will provide £100 million in compute and model credits, along with trusted access to its most capable relevant models. Anthropic will contribute up to £100 million in model credits, trusted model access and dedicated technical support. Together, the commitments are worth up to £200 million. The credits can be spent on the use of their models. The government said total backing for the lab could reach £300 million.
Google DeepMind scientists and biosecurity experts will join research collaborations with the lab. The company may also provide trusted access to its Gemini models and specialised science models. London-based Basecamp Research, an AI life sciences company, will share its AI biology models and expertise. The lab will work with the UK Health Security Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Dstl. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will support work on AI-designed medicines.
Lab to speed up vaccines and treatments
The lab’s initial focus will be the early detection of emerging biological threats. It will also work to speed up the development of vaccines, treatments and other medical countermeasures. The organisation will operate as an independent non-profit body. A scientific advisory committee will guide its work, with details to follow. The government said the model is similar to the AI Security Institute, which tests advanced AI systems.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan announced the plan. He said the lab would be a major new global institution bringing together world-leading scientific expertise. He added that it would help protect people from emerging biological threats and ensure Britain leads in AI safety and security. Narayan said Britain must stay ahead of risks ranging from cyber attacks to biological threats as AI becomes more powerful. The Cabinet Office published details of the lab.
Part of £600 million AI security package
The biosecurity initiative is the largest item in a wider package worth more than £600 million. It was announced ahead of the government’s Budget on Wednesday. The package includes £120 million for the AI Security Institute to expand testing of advanced models. A further £130 million will go to cyber security, including £60 million for a National Cyber Shield that uses autonomous AI to detect threats.
Another £70 million will fund a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre to find weaknesses in critical infrastructure. The Sovereign AI Fund will provide £60 million for robotics and industrial AI. The AI Economics Institute will receive £23 million over three years. Regional mayors will receive £30 million to support local AI projects. The investment adds to global efforts on epidemic preparedness, including EU funding for vaccine research.