UK chief executives scramble as Anthropic expands London AI hub
Anthropic is expanding its London footprint with a new office for up to 800 staff, as UK bank bosses ramp up engagement with the firm over concerns about its latest AI models.
The US-based company said it will scale up from its current base of more than 200 employees in the capital, with the new site located in London’s Knowledge Quarter alongside firms including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta.
The expansion follows Anthropic’s head of EMEA, Pip White, telling Bloomberg that engagement from UK chief executives had been “significant” in recent days, as businesses assess the implications of its newest AI systems.
The move also follows a push by UK officials to attract the company, after tensions between Anthropic and the US government over defence-related use of its models.
Tech secretary Liz Kendall, commenting on Anthropic’s plans, posted on X: “Welcome news Anthropic is massively expanding its presence in the UK. This expansion is a vote of confidence in British expertise and vision as we continue to build a world-leading hub for AI companies to thrive.”
UK banks test new AI models amid cyber concerns
The expansion coincides with the rollout of Anthropic’s new AI model, Mythos, to UK financial institutions under a controlled access programme.
The model has identified thousands of previously unknown vulnerabilities, including so-called zero-day flaws across major systems, which raised concerns among regulators about potential risks to financial infrastructure.
Authorities, including the Financial Conduct Authority, HM Treasury and the National Cyber Security Centre, have held talks with banks, while Andrew Bailey has warned the tech could pose a “significant” cybersecurity challenge.
Anthropic said UK banks will be able to access the model within days as part of its project Glasswing rollout, allowing firms to test their systems against its capabilities.
The programme is initially limited to a small group of organisations, including tech behemoths such as Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, as well as selected public bodies.
The UK’s AI Security Institute, which has tested the model and called it the firm’s “most capable” yet, also said it represents an advance on previous systems in simulating complex cyber attacks.