Britain's AI Security Institute has been given access to the latest advanced AI models and is working with the US government and major developers, including Google, to assess their safety, AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said on Monday.
The announcement is significant because Britain is home to no major AI developer of its own, yet is seeking a leading role in assessing and managing the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems.
Scrutiny of AI safety has intensified after developers including Anthropic and OpenAI disclosed instances of rogue or undesired behaviour by AI agents. Some industry figures have warned the technology could pose an existential threat to humanity.
Follows reports of withheld access
Monday's announcement follows reports last month that the White House had asked OpenAI and Anthropic to withhold new models from British testers pending a US review. In a letter published in September, the institute said Anthropic had made clear that no organisation outside the US had access to its Mythos 5.1 model.
"I can confirm that AI scientists at the AI Security Institute are now conducting rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models, including Gemini 4 Argon, to identify risks early, to test robust safeguards, to help keep people safe," Narayan said.
Voluntary pre-deployment agreements
Under voluntary agreements with major AI developers, the institute receives access to models before deployment, allowing it to assess their capabilities and risks and contribute to emerging international safety standards. Asked about access to frontier AI systems, Narayan said the government had a long-standing relationship with the US built on trust, adding that he was confident the institute would be able to test the latest generation of models following recent conversations.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in an interview published by the BBC on Monday that Britain was well placed to help lead work on AI safety guidelines.
Sources: UK given access to safety-test latest AI models, minister says
The announcement is significant because Britain is home to no major AI developer of its own, yet is seeking a leading role in assessing and managing the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems.
Scrutiny of AI safety has intensified after developers including Anthropic and OpenAI disclosed instances of rogue or undesired behaviour by AI agents. Some industry figures have warned the technology could pose an existential threat to humanity.
Follows reports of withheld access
Monday's announcement follows reports last month that the White House had asked OpenAI and Anthropic to withhold new models from British testers pending a US review. In a letter published in September, the institute said Anthropic had made clear that no organisation outside the US had access to its Mythos 5.1 model.
"I can confirm that AI scientists at the AI Security Institute are now conducting rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models, including Gemini 4 Argon, to identify risks early, to test robust safeguards, to help keep people safe," Narayan said.
Voluntary pre-deployment agreements
Under voluntary agreements with major AI developers, the institute receives access to models before deployment, allowing it to assess their capabilities and risks and contribute to emerging international safety standards. Asked about access to frontier AI systems, Narayan said the government had a long-standing relationship with the US built on trust, adding that he was confident the institute would be able to test the latest generation of models following recent conversations.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in an interview published by the BBC on Monday that Britain was well placed to help lead work on AI safety guidelines.
Sources: UK given access to safety-test latest AI models, minister says
