UK to build £300 million AI "biosecurity laboratory" to defend against future pandemics

UK Chancellor John Healey announced that a "biosecurity laboratory" will be built to use AI to defend against future pandemics; the institution has support of up to £200 million from OpenAI and Anthropic and £100 million from the government, and officials said this "world-first" institution will help develop medical countermeasures against new pathogens, with Healey to announce more details in next week's budget. As part of the investment package, the Treasury said it will invest an additional £120 million in the UK AISI to develop standards for guarding against AI risks, and establish a £70 million Nerv center to use AI to detect cyber threats to critical infrastructure. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the government has used AI to find 500 new vulnerabilities in the public sector.