Tech tycoons must not be allowed to ‘let rip’ with AI, minister warns

Technology leaders must not be allowed to do whatever they want with artificial intelligence (AI), a senior minister warned. His comments came as John Healey prepared to use the Budget to increase investment in the technology.

AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the UK had a role to play in developing and using this fast-growing technology. But he said powerful technology bosses must not be allowed to do whatever they want.

The Chancellor has promised an approach to AI that is “distinctively British”. He also recognised the concerns that working people have about the technology's growth.

The Chancellor said a new “biosecurity lab” would use AI to help protect against possible future pandemics as part of a wider investment package.

Officials said OpenAI and Anthropic would provide up to £200 million, with the Government adding £100 million. The new unit, described as the first of its kind in the world, will help develop medical ways to protect people against new disease-causing germs.

The lab is part of wider efforts to use AI to protect Britain's interests and strengthen its own abilities. These efforts come as more people warn about the dangers of letting the technology develop without proper checks.

Companies based in the US and China are leading much of the development of the most advanced AI systems.

AI minister Mr Narayan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “I think the main political divide is not about whether you support AI or oppose it.

“The main political divide is this: do you simply stand by while AI develops, or do you actively shape it to serve your people and your country?

“Some people on the far left say, ‘Let's not build it. Let's let other countries have it, as we did with the last wave of technology. Let's sit back because we don't want to listen to the clear signs that change is coming.’

“Some people on the far right say, ‘Hand it to the technology bosses and let them do whatever they want to our economy and society.’ I think that is completely wrong.

“My focus, and the Government's focus, is to do our best to shape this technology in the interests of Britain and the British public.”

The Treasury said the Budget package would include another £120 million for Britain's AI Security Institute. The money will help the institute develop standards to protect people from the risks of AI.

The Chancellor's plans also include £10 million a year to study how AI will change industries. This comes amid widespread fears that the technology could lead to job losses, and questions about how Britain should prepare.

Mr Healey said a new £70 million National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (Nerv) centre would use AI tools to find cyber threats across the UK's key infrastructure and economy.

Another £60 million will go to the sovereign AI fund to support promising British AI companies. A further £60 million will support contracts to use AI in areas including the NHS.

The announcement follows a major disruption to online services around the world caused by a security weakness in PHP, a widely used programming language. The problem temporarily took 32 Government services offline while experts worked to fix the weaknesses.

Experts from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) worked with OpenAI to limit the damage. OpenAI's technology had been used to find the security problems.

Some critics have called for AI development to slow down. Experts have warned that, without controls, the technology could destroy humanity within a decade.

The Government has said strong safety measures must be in place so developers can build AI systems that keep human beings in control.

Separately, the Chancellor is also expected to promise an extra £20.4 billion for the state-owned British Business Bank, which supports economic development, and the National Wealth Fund. The Financial Times reported this plan first.

The Government said the move is expected to create more than 100,000 jobs across the country from 2028-29 onwards, including jobs in AI.

Business groups welcomed the AI investment package, but opposition critics dismissed it as a “shopping list of projects” without a clear overall plan.

Kate Shoesmith, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “More funding for the Sovereign AI Fund should strengthen groups of homegrown UK talent, while a new UK Advanced Chip Design Academy is a step towards improving our abilities and making them more reliable.

“The Government should now work to remove barriers that stop companies from adopting AI, so businesses of all sizes can grow.”

Jordan Cummins, a director at the CBI, said: “The Chancellor is right to make security, resilience and trust central to the UK's approach to AI. Companies will adopt AI more quickly and use it more widely when they are confident that it is safe, secure and works in the interests of their workers.”

Ben Spencer, the shadow AI minister, said: “Businesses build AI, not the Government.

“Ministers should reduce the burdens on British companies, fix delays in connecting to the electricity grid, reject protectionism and instead support the abilities we need. These include stronger cybersecurity and biosecurity, keeping our AI Security Institute among the world's best, and improving access to AI models.”