The two companies will give the UK government’s new AI Biosecurity Lab credits and access to their most capable AI models, while the government will fund the lab with £100 million.
OpenAI and Anthropic committed up to £200 million in AI model credits and access to advanced models to a new UK government lab that will use AI to detect biological threats earlier and speed up the development of vaccines and treatments. The UK government is putting £100 million into the lab, called the AI Biosecurity Lab.
The government says increasingly capable AI systems “create new biological risks and could lower barriers to harmful activity.” In an Oct. 7 safety report, OpenAI rated its GPT-6 models “High” risk for biological and chemical weapons. By OpenAI’s definition, that means a model could help someone with only basic scientific training make a known biological or chemical weapon. OpenAI and Anthropic are now supplying their most capable models to a lab set up to defend against biological threats.
The lab will also work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK’s medicines regulator, to prepare for health emergencies and to inform how AI-designed medicines are regulated.
What each company is giving the lab
The lab will launch with commitments from four companies:
- OpenAI will provide £100 million in computing and model credits to pay for use of its AI systems. It will also give the lab access, limited to vetted users, to OpenAI’s most capable relevant models through the company’s Rosalind Biodefense program, OpenAI’s initiative for biodefense work in the life sciences.
- Anthropic will provide up to £100 million in model credits, trusted access to its models, and dedicated technical support.
- Google DeepMind scientists and biosecurity experts will conduct research with the lab. The company “will look to provide” the lab with trusted access to its Gemini models and specialized science models.
- Basecamp Research, a London-based AI life sciences company, will give the lab access to its AI-biology models and technical expertise.
The £200 million is a ceiling. OpenAI’s share is a fixed £100 million, while Anthropic’s is up to £100 million. Both are paid in credits to use the companies’ AI systems, not cash.
Matt Clifford, who leads international affairs at Anthropic and is a former AI adviser to the prime minister, said “AI is changing both the biological risks we face and the nature of biological discovery,” according to Bloomberg.
The lab will start with early detection and faster treatments
The lab’s first work will focus on detecting emerging biological threats earlier and speeding up the development of vaccines, treatments and other medical countermeasures. The government says its research will cover a wide range of biological risks, including those made possible by advances in AI.
The lab will work with three government agencies: the UK Health Security Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Together with the life sciences industry, the four bodies form the government’s National AI Biosecurity Initiative.
The lab is part of a wider UK push on AI security
The Treasury announced the lab as part of a larger AI package that Finance Minister John Healey will include in his Oct. 28 Budget. The package’s AI security spending includes:
- £165 million for the National AI Biosecurity Initiative: £100 million for the lab, and £65 million for tracking disease threats and developing medical countermeasures for priority pathogens
- An extra £120 million for the AI Security Institute, the government body that tests new AI systems
- £60 million for a National Cyber Shield that will use AI agents to strengthen the UK’s cyber defenses
- £70 million for a new center that will use AI tools to find cyber vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure and the economy
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the lab “will be a major new global institution, bringing together world-leading scientific expertise to protect people from emerging biological threats and ensure Britain leads the world in AI safety and security.”
The lab will run as an independent non-profit
The lab will operate as an independent non-profit. The government says that, like the AI Security Institute, the lab will recruit technical experts from industry and universities. The government says the lab will have enough independence to move with the speed and focus of a private company that develops advanced AI for biology.
A scientific advisory committee drawn from universities, industry, and charities will advise the lab. The government also plans to seek philanthropic funding over time.
