UK sets out an AI biosecurity lab and extra funding for the AI Security Institute
HM Treasury published on 24 October 2026 a package it says the Chancellor has announced. The same page says he is set to make AI part of his Budget, and its opening line says a major package will be announced by the Chancellor next week. The figures below are the ones the page says have been announced.
Source: HM Treasury (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab), 24 Oct 2026Also: Cabinet Office, Introducing the AI Biosecurity Lab, 24 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
HM Treasury published on 24 October 2026 a package it says the Chancellor has announced. The same page says he is set to make AI part of his Budget, and its opening line says a major package will be announced by the Chancellor next week. The figures below are the ones the page says have been announced.
On AI security, the page lists £165m for a new National AI Biosecurity Initiative, including £100 million for an AI Biosecurity Lab to apply AI to the detection and surveillance of biological threats, and £65 million to strengthen bio surveillance and develop medical countermeasures for priority pathogens. It says the lab will be supported by up to £200 million in AI model credits from OpenAI and Anthropic, plus partnerships with Google DeepMind and Basecamp Research. It also lists an additional £120 million investment in the AI Security Institute; £60 million for a National Cyber Shield that will use agentic AI, including a £25 million challenge fund and scoping for a new regulatory sandbox; and a £70 million National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (NERV) Centre.
The same page lists further sums, including an additional £60 million for the Sovereign AI Fund, an additional £60 million for Sovereign AI's R&D Procurement Scheme, £18 million for a UK Advanced Chip Design Academy, £15 million for an AI Challenge Prize, an additional £23 million over the next three years for the AI Economics Institute, and £30m for local AI partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities. Those figures are copied from the page and are not added together here.
The Cabinet Office page, also published 24 October 2026, says the AI Biosecurity Lab will be an independent, non-profit organisation. It says the lab is backed by £100 million of government funding and up to £200 million in company commitments: OpenAI will provide £100 million in compute and model credits and trusted access through the Rosalind Biodefense programme, and Anthropic will provide up to £100 million in model credits, trusted model access and dedicated technical support. The page's summary line says the lab is backed by up to £300mn of government funding and company commitments. It says the lab will work with the MHRA to prepare for health emergencies and inform the regulation of AI-designed medicines. It does not give a start date.
What it means for business: no new duty takes effect from this announcement. The cyber-shield sandbox is described as scoping, not as a rule now in force. Firms in biosecurity, cyber security and AI safety may see new UK programmes and procurement. The extra AI Security Institute funding does not, on these pages, change the Institute's legal powers.