The UK government is considering stronger legal protections against emerging artificial intelligence threats as ministers expand the use of advanced AI to defend public-sector computer systems.
In an announcement on Monday 12 October 2026, AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the government was examining whether the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill regime could be strengthened to address AI-driven cyber risks and incidents involving increasingly autonomous systems.
More than 1,300 vulnerabilities addressed
In a written statement to Parliament, Narayan said two pilot programmes had used advanced AI to identify and address 1,352 vulnerabilities across 548 code repositories in 18 government departments. The government is now urgently extending the programme to help protect public services and higher-risk systems.
Those figures relate to security weaknesses identified and addressed through defensive work, not to 1,352 successful cyberattacks.
Possible changes to cybersecurity law
Ministers are considering how existing cybersecurity proposals could better account for risks posed by advanced AI, including the reporting of serious incidents and near misses, reducing AI-driven risks across organisations and learning from failures. The government says it will discuss potential changes with parliamentarians, technical specialists and affected operators as the bill progresses.
No final package of new AI-specific statutory duties has been announced. The proposals remain under consideration and should not be described as law already in force.
Preparing for autonomous AI incidents
The government is also developing arrangements for responding to serious incidents involving AI agents that operate with reduced human oversight or act beyond their instructions. The work involves the National Cyber Security Centre, the AI Security Institute and other government bodies.
Narayan said independent scrutiny of powerful AI models was necessary and confirmed that the AI Security Institute was evaluating the latest generation of systems, including Google's Gemini 4 Argon.
What happens next?
The government intends to continue the expanded cyber-defence programme, develop specialist incident-response capabilities and consider additional safeguards during the passage of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. The Security Minister is also expected to outline further measures in a National Cyber Action Plan.
The announcement therefore combines immediate defensive work with possible future regulation. It does not establish that new AI safety legislation has already been enacted or that a major autonomous-AI incident has occurred in Britain.
Sources
UK Government — Britain steps up national defences against growing AI risks (12 October 2026)
UK Parliament — Written ministerial statement by Kanishka Narayan (12 October 2026)
UK Government — Minister's speech at Imperial College London (12 October 2026)