Strengthening AI resilience

The deployment of AI across critical infrastructure and societal systems - like financial markets, healthcare, and transportation - offers immense benefits. It also introduces risks that could cause significant disruption in high-stakes domains.

Our Systemic AI Safety Grants Programme, first announced at the Seoul AI Summit, aims to increase societal resilience to AI-related risks so its benefits can be fully realised. Today, we are proud to announce the 20 projects that have been awarded seed grants of up to £200,000 to carry out independent research focused on safeguarding the societal systems and critical infrastructure into which AI is being deployed.

We received over 300 grant applications from universities, businesses, and non-profit organisations across the UK and internationally. Each application underwent a rigorous evaluation process, led by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Innovate UK , both part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

More than 150 external reviewers initially shortlisted 82 applications, which were then assessed by an expert panel chaired by Siân John MBE, EPSRC member and CTO of NCC Group. The panel evaluated proposals based on merit and potential impact, before the UK AI Security Institute made the final selection.

The selected portfolio of 20 projects covers a diverse range of focus areas, reflecting the breadth of challenges in AI safety, security and resilience:

Over the next 12 months, these projects will generate crucial insights to inform AI governance, risk mitigation, and systemic safeguards. The work will help shape practical interventions that ensure AI’s integration into critical infrastructure is safe, secure and beneficial.