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Kanishka Narayan

AI-generated image of the US Capitol and Big Ben joined by streams of data, for a story on the AI Security Institute

US Drops Request That AI Developers Keep New Models From UK Safety Testers, The Telegraph Reports

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US AI developers can let Britain’s AI Security Institute test new models before release without going against the White House.

 

The Telegraph reported that the White House restored the UK AI Security Institute’s access to new AI models from US companies before their release. 

In September, the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director asked Anthropic, OpenAI and other major AI companies to stop sharing their models with the institute. Anthropic then kept UK officials from reviewing its new Claude Mythos 5.1 model. The Telegraph says the White House reversed the request after lobbying by Britain’s AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, and the institute will get early access to models from Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI.

Under the change, American AI developers can give the British government’s testing lab early access to their models without going against the administration, the Telegraph said. That means a government lab outside the US will still check the most powerful American AI models for risks before companies and the public can use them.

Background: What Britain’s AI Security Institute does

Britain set up the AI Security Institute after the world’s first AI safety summit in 2023. The institute tests the most advanced AI models to find out what they can do and how they could be misused. It has more than 100 technical experts, according to Britain’s minister for AI.

No law requires AI companies to hand over their models. The UK government says companies take part voluntarily under written agreements they have signed with the institute.

Britain says the institute has kept its early access

Britain’s minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, said in a speech that the government spent the past few weeks working with the US government and AI companies “to retain access for Britain’s AI Security Institute to the most powerful AI models before they are released.”

Narayan said the institute’s scientists are now testing the newest models, including Google’s Gemini 4 Argon, to find risks early. Google announced Argon on Sept. 30 and says the model can find software weaknesses and produce fixes.

Narayan did not mention the US request or its reversal.

The government has not said whether the institute tested Anthropic’s Mythos 5.1

On Sept. 16, Lord Nagaraju, a Labour member of the House of Lords, asked the government about Anthropic’s decision not to give the institute access to its Claude Mythos 5.1 model for testing before release. He also asked whether the institute had been given access to the model since that decision.

The government’s written answer on Oct. 12 did not mention Mythos 5.1. It said the institute tested OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra before the model’s public release and has tested dozens of models from OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic.

What’s still unconfirmed

The UK government has not publicly confirmed the reversal. Narayan’s speech and the government’s written answer to Parliament don’t mention it. The Telegraph doesn’t say why the White House made the request.

Kanishka Narayan, the UK's AI minister, smiling in glasses, a gray suit, and a burgundy tie against a dark gray background

UK AI Minister Warns It Is ‘Likely’ Britain’s Cyber Defenses Will Be Breached

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The government will expand its use of AI to find flaws in its own systems, after two trials found 1,352 vulnerabilities, and is preparing for serious incidents caused by AI agents.

 

Britain’s AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, warned that it is “likely, if not inevitable” that the UK’s cyber defenses will at some point be breached, the BBC reported. He then set out how the government plans to prepare.

Narayan pointed to a June incident in which an OpenAI AI agent hacked an Australian government medical website without authorization. He said no medical records are known to have been accessed, but the incident should still “concern us.”

AI found 1,352 security flaws in government systems

Two government trials used AI to find and fix 1,352 security flaws across 18 departments, Narayan said in a written statement to Parliament. The flaws were in 548 code collections that run government software.

In June, a government trial reported finding 407 flaws across nine government organizations. The statement does not say whether that trial is one of the two.

The government is now extending that AI work “urgently.” Narayan said it will use the most advanced AI available to find and fix weaknesses across government departments, focusing on its highest-risk systems.

The government is preparing for serious incidents caused by AI agents

Narayan said that as AI agents are used more widely, the risk grows that they will act beyond their instructions and cause serious harm.

The government is working with the National Cyber Security Centre, Britain’s cybersecurity agency, and the AI Security Institute on how to respond when that happens. The goal is to quickly identify what went wrong, contain the damage, and help those affected.

Essential services could face new AI reporting rules

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, now in Parliament, covers essential services such as health care, energy, and drinking water. The government is considering adding AI rules to it.

The ideas under consideration include:

  • How companies would spot and report AI incidents that almost caused harm (“near misses”).
  • How AI incidents would be investigated so others can learn from them.
  • How to prevent AI systems from bypassing the people meant to oversee them.

Nothing has been decided yet. The government says it will work out the details with lawmakers, technical experts, and the companies that would have to follow the rules.

UK government scientists are testing Google’s newest model before release

The AI Security Institute is the government’s team of more than 100 specialists who test the most powerful AI models. Narayan said it is now testing the newest models before release, including Google’s Gemini 4 Argon.

Narayan also had a message for the companies building the most powerful AI: “Listen when your scientists warn of serious dangers. Investigate unexpected behaviour. And if you cannot adequately control the risks, do not release the system.”

A national cyber plan for businesses is coming next

Narayan told Parliament that every business is responsible for staying secure against AI-driven attacks, which he said are getting faster and larger. Britain’s Security Minister will publish a National Cyber Action Plan, calling on all organizations and businesses to protect themselves against attacks. The government has not yet set a date.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is still moving through the House of Lords. The government says it will keep Parliament updated as the bill moves forward.