Britain bets big on AI to defend against the threats AI is helping create
Whitehall wants agents guarding critical infrastructure as part of a wider £600M spending spree
The UK government has allocated £130 million to bolster AI-powered cyber defenses, intending to employ autonomous AI agents to identify security flaws before adversaries can exploit them. This investment is part of a larger £600 million-plus AI spending plan unveiled ahead of the upcoming Budget announcement. The cyber funding is directed towards various initiatives, including a new National Cyber Shield, a £25 million challenge fund for UK cybersecurity firms, and the establishment of a regulatory sandbox to test autonomous security tools.
Additionally, £70 million will fund the National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (NERV) Centre, utilizing AI to identify vulnerabilities across Britain's infrastructure and economy. The announcement follows the PHP2Shell security incident, where dozens of government websites faced downtime due to critical flaws in widely used scripting languages.
AI-assisted researchers detected these vulnerabilities, and the National Cyber Security Centre collaborated with OpenAI to disclose the issues. The UK government has already been testing AI-driven vulnerability hunting, with AI minister Kanishka Narayan revealing that the technology has uncovered 500 unknown security flaws in various public sector areas.
The extent of autonomy for these AI defenders remains uncertain, as does their deployment timeline. Former NCSC head Ciaran Martin welcomed the investment, emphasizing the need to strengthen cyber defenses. The Treasury is also supporting the AI Security Institute, which will test advanced AI systems for potential dangers and develop methods to control them.
Beyond cyber threats, the government is investing £165 million in a National AI Biosecurity Initiative, including the creation of the world's first dedicated AI Biosecurity Lab. This independent, non-profit lab will leverage cutting-edge AI models to identify biological threats and accelerate vaccine and treatment development, with contributions from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Basecamp Research, and other partners.
The government will also allocate £60 million to its Sovereign AI Fund to invest in British companies developing robotics, autonomous systems, and other technologies, as well as £60 million for AI R&D procurement. Additional funds will support AI research, local partnerships, a healthcare-focused AI challenge prize, and studies on AI's impact on employment and the economy, with Manchester set to host a new NCSC AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
