The UK government has announced a suite of measures to fortify national security against the escalating risks of advanced artificial intelligence.

Unveiled by ministers, the initiative expands on successful pilot programs that have already identified and resolved over 1,000 vulnerabilities across public sector systems.

As part of the new strategy, the government is exploring stronger legal frameworks through the to monitor near misses, address loss-of-control risks and protect essential services such as hospitals and utilities from emerging AI-related threats.

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan emphasised that as frontier systems gain autonomy, the nation must proactively legislate and leverage British technical ingenuity. “We will use every power at our disposal. We will legislate wherever necessary,” Narayan stated, adding a direct warning to developers: “If you cannot adequately control the risks, do not release the system.”

Industry leaders have welcomed the focus on frontier defence while calling for concrete, fail-safe mechanisms as artificial intelligence agents become increasingly independent. Richard Wainwright, Field CTO, EMEA at Okta, highlighted the necessity of hard infrastructure safeguards, commenting:

“It’s promising to see the Government taking seriously. As AI agents become more autonomous, safety must be built into the infrastructure UK businesses and government rely on.

“Everyone wants a ‘big red button’ to turn off rogue AI agents. The industry is increasingly talking about AI ‘kill switches’ to help protect critical infrastructure, and I hope they are considered as part of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill regime.”

Alongside legislative reviews, scientists at the are conducting rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models, aiming to ensure the country remains resilient against fast-moving, complex digital threats.

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