What was announced?
The UK government said it will allocate £130m to AI-powered cyber defence. At the centre of the plan is a National Cyber Shield that uses agentic AI to protect critical infrastructure.
The size of the budget
The spending is part of a package of more than £600m for AI that Chancellor John Healey will present in this week's Budget. HM Treasury set out the plans.
What does "agentic AI" mean?
Agentic AI refers to systems that can plan and carry out steps toward a goal on their own, rather than just producing a single response to a prompt. In cyber defence, this approach is used to speed up threat monitoring and response.
Why it matters
As attacks on critical infrastructure grow, governments are turning to automation on the defence side. The UK's investment stands out as a step toward institutionalising AI not only as an attack tool but also as a defence tool.
