UK given access to safety-test latest AI models, minister says

By William James

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - 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.

Britain, which is not home to any major AI developers, is seeking a leading role in efforts to assess and manage the risks posed by 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.

Monday's announcement, which did not specify all the models the institute is evaluating, comes after reports last month that the White House has asked OpenAI and Anthropic to withhold new models from British testers pending a US review.

"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.

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.

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.

In a letter published in September, the AISI said Anthropic had made clear that no organisation outside the US had access to its Mythos 5.1 model.

Asked about access to frontier AI systems — something ministers have never confirmed the institute had lost on a wider basis — Narayan said the government had a long-standing relationship with the US built on trust.

"When you're reliant on someone else's technology, you have to be clear-eyed about the permanence of any outcome. But I'm very confident that, as a consequence of the conversations we've had, we will be able to test the latest generation of models," he said.

(Reporting by William James, Kate Holton and Sarah Young. Editing by Mark Potter)