Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the development of UK-based startups focused on AI safety and governance technologies; and what steps they are taking to support innovation in AI assurance and security.

The Government recognises the growing strength of UK start‑ups developing AI safety, governance and assurance technologies. The Spending Review allocated up to £500 million to the Sovereign AI Unit to provide targeted support to enable high-potential startups and scaleups to become national AI champions.

As highlighted in the AI Opportunities Action Plan: One Year On publication, we have taken steps to build the AI assurance ecosystem that underpins safe and responsible use of AI. This includes establishing a new Centre for AI Measurement at the National Physical Laboratory, designed to accelerate the development of secure, transparent and trustworthy AI.

The AI Growth Lab will also act as a cross‑economy AI sandbox, encouraging innovation by enabling responsible AI products and services to be deployed under close supervision in live markets.