---
title: 'UK sets out about £600 million of AI security funding, with biosecurity and cyber defence first'
url: 'https://securteksecurity.com/news/uk-600-million-ai-security-funding'
markdown: 'https://securteksecurity.com/news/uk-600-million-ai-security-funding.md'
date: '2026-10-23'
description: 'Sourcing note: this report rests on a single reporting chain. Reuters reported the funding package on October 23, 2026, and the other coverage found is Reuters syndication of the same report. The figures below are as Reuters reported them, and this item will be updated when independent reporting or…'
taxonomy:
  category:
    - AI
---

# [UK sets out about £600 million of AI security funding, with biosecurity and cyber defence first](https://securteksecurity.com/news/uk-600-million-ai-security-funding)

   23rd Oct 2026  

Sourcing note: this report rests on a single reporting chain. Reuters reported the funding package on October 23, 2026, and the other coverage found is Reuters syndication of the same report. The figures below are as Reuters reported them, and this item will be updated when independent reporting or a UK government publication confirming the package appears.

Britain's government has set out about £600 million (about $800 million) of funding largely geared toward defending against health and security threats from artificial intelligence. The largest share goes to a new biosecurity initiative, including £100 million for a laboratory using AI to detect biological threats and £65 million to develop countermeasures against pathogens, with OpenAI and Anthropic offering up to £200 million in model credits and Google DeepMind offering other assistance. The AI Security Institute gets an extra £120 million, and £130 million goes to critical infrastructure cyber defence through a National Cyber Shield and a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre.

Sources: [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-government-sets-out-800-million-ai-security-funding-2026-10-23/)

---

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