UK to establish AI "biosecurity lab" to detect future pandemic risks

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey announced that a "biosecurity lab" will be established to use AI to guard against future pandemics, with details to be announced in next week's budget. The institution has support of up to £200 million from OpenAI and Anthropic plus £100 million from the government, and officials said this "world-first" institution will help develop medical countermeasures against new pathogens. As part of the overall plan, the UK AI Security Institute will receive an additional £120 million to develop standards for guarding against AI risks, and the government will also establish a £70 million Nerv center to use AI tools to detect cyber threats in UK critical infrastructure and the economy. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the government has already used AI to find 500 "novel vulnerabilities" in important public sector areas. Business groups welcomed the plan, while the opposition criticized it as a "list of projects" lacking a clear strategy.