Google, OpenAI and Anthropic back £100m UK AI biosecurity lab

Google Deepmind, OpenAI and Anthropic are backing a new £100m British AI biosecurity laboratory as the government unveils more than £600m in funding to tackle emerging technological threats. The lab will use AI to detect and monitor biological threats, bringing together some of the world’s largest AI developers as ministers seek to strengthen Britain’s defences. OpenAI and Anthropic will provide up to £200m in AI model credits, giving researchers access to their technology, while Google’s Deepmind and London-based life sciences startup Basecamp Research will support the initiative. The investment forms part of a £165m National AI Biosecurity Initiative announced ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, with a further £65m allocated to biological surveillance and the development of treatments and other countermeasures against dangerous pathogens. AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the government wanted to establish the facility as a leading international centre for biosecurity research.