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The U.K. government has outlined plans to expand funding for artificial intelligence safety amid growing concerns over the cyber risks posed by the increasingly advanced technology.
"The economic opportunities from AI will only be realised if our critical infrastructure, public services and businesses are resilient to cyber, biological and emerging AI-enabled threats," the government said in a statement on Oct. 23 ahead of its annual budget update on Oct. 28.
Concerns about AI safety have escalated in recent months after models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic were involved in security incidents during testing, piling pressure on governments to regulate the technology and protect against threats.
As part of a package of AI-related measures in the budget, the government will invest an additional 120 million pounds ($161 million) in Britain's AI Security Institute, which tests the most powerful AI models before they are released.
It will also invest 100 million pounds to establish a national AI Biosecurity Lab, which will use AI to detect and track biological threats.
"As AI becomes more powerful, Britain must have the capabilities to protect its people and shape its own future," said AI minister Kanishka Narayan.
"That means staying ahead of emerging threats, from cyberattacks to biological risks, while building more of the critical technology our security depends on," he added.
The plans include investment in AI tools to identify cyber vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure.
