The Government has announced a package of around £600 million for artificial intelligence security, research and British technology businesses, including plans for a new £100 million AI Biosecurity Lab.
Announced by the Treasury on 24 October 2026, ahead of the Budget on 28 October, the measures are intended both to address threats involving advanced AI and to support domestic technology capabilities. The package includes funding for cyber defence, research and regional adoption, rather than being solely an AI security programme.
New AI Biosecurity Lab
A £165 million National AI Biosecurity Initiative includes £100 million for a new AI Biosecurity Lab and £65 million for biological surveillance and medical countermeasures against priority pathogens. The proposed lab aims to apply AI to the earlier detection of biological threats and the development of vaccines and treatments.
The Government says the lab will also be supported by up to £200 million in model and computing credits from OpenAI and Anthropic, alongside research partnerships with Google DeepMind and Basecamp Research. These private-sector credits are not an additional £200 million in government cash spending.
Cyber defences and AI safety
The package includes an additional £120 million for the AI Security Institute, which evaluates advanced AI systems and researches potential risks.
Ministers have also allocated £60 million for a National Cyber Shield using AI to improve cyber defences, including a £25 million challenge fund, and £70 million for a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre to help identify weaknesses in critical infrastructure and the wider economy.
Investment in British AI
Beyond the security programmes, the Treasury announced £60 million for the Sovereign AI Fund, a further £60 million for an AI research and development procurement scheme, £18 million for an advanced chip-design academy, £15 million for an AI challenge prize, £23 million for research into AI's economic effects and £30 million for partnerships with mayoral authorities.
Chancellor John Healey said the Government wanted an approach to AI that protects national interests while enabling firms and public services to benefit from the technology. AI minister Kanishka Narayan linked domestic AI capability to national security.
What happens next?
The announcement sets out funding commitments and planned initiatives; it does not mean the new laboratory or cyber centres are already fully operational. Further details are expected alongside the Budget. The Government has not claimed that the funding will eliminate AI-related biological or cyber risks.
Sources: HM Treasury, Chancellor unveils Britain’s ambitious plan for AI (24 October 2026); Cabinet Office, Introducing the AI Biosecurity Lab (24 October 2026); Reuters reporting.