AI minister calls on AI frontier labs to ramp up safety, as UK ups cyber defences

What happened

The UK AI minister today called on frontier AI labs to ramp up the safety of their leading AI systems, as the UK announced it was strengthening its cyber defences, including potential new legislation, as it prepares for potential serious AI incidents. His warning follows OpenAI agents earlier this year going rogue, launching “unauthorised” actions against organisations, including the Australian government and Anthropic holding back the full release of a new AI model, saying it was too dangerous for the public.

Narayan today said Britain must act now to strengthen its defences and prepare for future serious incidents as AI frontier models become increasingly powerful and capable of acting autonomously. He also said scientists at Britain’s AI Security Institute are now evaluating the latest generation of advanced AI models, following work with AI developers and the US government. He said a government initiative had already fixed over a thousand potential cyber vulnerabilities across government systems.