The UK's technology secretary, Liz Kendall, has issued a strong call for the nation to "make AI work for Britain", while downplaying concerns regarding its potential impact on jobs and cybersecurity. This comes as the government unveiled its initial investment from a substantial £500 million sovereign AI fund, signaling a proactive stance on artificial intelligence development.

Despite recent alarms, such as US startup Anthropic's revelation of an AI model posing a significant cyber threat, Kendall emphasized the critical need for the UK to "seize" the opportunities presented by AI. Addressing questions about how the government justifies embracing a technology that could disrupt employment and now cybersecurity, Kendall asserted, "We have to seize this to make it work, for Britain, for our jobs, for solving the biggest challenges we face as a world."

Speaking at the launch event for the first investment, Kendall acknowledged public anxieties about AI's implications for jobs. However, she conveyed the optimistic view of AI entrepreneurs who believe they can "make it work…they can create jobs." Earlier in January, Kendall had conceded that "some jobs will go" due to AI automation but maintained that new employment opportunities would emerge.

The government's first disclosed investment is an undisclosed shareholding in Callosum, a London-based company specializing in optimizing different computer chips to collaborate efficiently for training and operating AI models. A stake in a second, as-yet-unnamed business has also been acquired. Furthermore, six UK companies will gain access to a network of government-funded supercomputers to aid their AI model development, in exchange for a "right of first refusal" for government investment in these firms. The value of this supercomputer access is included within the £500 million fund.

Among the startups benefiting from enhanced compute capacity are Prima Mente, which is developing "biological foundation models" to combat diseases like Alzheimer's; Cursive, a company founded by Google DeepMind alumni that focuses on autonomous AI agents; and Odyssey, which creates 'world models' allowing AI systems to interact with convincing simulations of the real world. Chancellor Rachel Reeves underscored that by nurturing national AI champions, the UK aims to ensure that internationally competitive companies can "start, scale and stay here in Britain." The sovereign AI unit, structured to operate similarly to a venture capital fund, was officially launched at the London offices of Wayve, a self-driving car startup now valued at $8.6 billion (£6.4 billion). Danyal Akarca, co-founder of Callosum, highlighted the UK as the "natural place" to establish his company, citing the nation's robust university talent and leading private AI labs like DeepMind.