Tag: Department for Science Innovation and Technology

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 12 May 2026.

Isomorphic Labs – a company using frontier AI for drug design and development – is the latest to receive investment from Sovereign AI.

• Isomorphic Labs – a company using frontier AI for drug design and development – is the latest to receive investment from Sovereign AI. 
• Investment forms part of a raise by London-based scale-up as Britain’s AI sector continues to accelerate. 
• Isomorphic Labs is founded by AI pioneer Sir Demis Hassabis, whose breakthroughs have been honoured with accolades including the Nobel Prize and Breakthrough Prize. 

Isomorphic Labs, a London-founded and headquartered company, using AI to design and develop new medicines, has been named as the latest firm to receive investment from the UK Government’s Sovereign AI Fund today (Tuesday 12 May). 

The investment forms part of a fundraise announced by Isomorphic Labs today, as it scales up its work to tackle some of the world’s most serious diseases. 

The company, founded by Nobel Prize-winner Sir Demis Hassabis, is reimagining drug discovery, with AI at its core.

Launched just last month, Sovereign AI is the government’s big bet on promising early-stage AI companies to help them grow, scale and succeed from Britain, offering a range of backing to high-potential AI businesses that are starting out here in the UK.  

It is a venture capital fund with the muscle of the state behind it – moving fast, backing ambition and cutting through the red tape that so often holds brilliant ideas back, so they can go on to succeed globally. 

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: 

Isomorphic Labs’ ground-breaking work has the potential to reshape completely how medicines are discovered – cutting years off development and giving real hope to people living with devastating diseases. This is AI at its very best – pushing the boundaries of innovation to improve people’s lives. 

Britain has a proud history of world-changing medical breakthroughs – from penicillin to MRI scanners. Now in the AI era, we are backing a brilliant UK firm working on another huge jump forward in science to the benefit of people across the country and around the world.

Isomorphic’s work builds on the breakthrough success of AlphaFold: the AI model developed by DeepMind that sent shockwaves through the world of science through its ability to accurately predict the structures of proteins –  which are the chemical building blocks of all life on Earth.  

Isomorphic Labs is going beyond AlphaFold, developing a number of proprietary breakthrough AI models that together form its unified drug design engine, across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities.

This backing brings the number of startups receiving equity investment from Sovereign AI to 3 since it launched, and the overall number of startups receiving Sovereign AI backing – including support accessing compute –  to 9. 

Sovereign AI Head of Ventures Joséphine Kant said: 

Isomorphic is one of the most consequential companies being built anywhere in the world today, and it’s being built in Britain. Sovereign AI exists to invest in the companies that will shape what this country becomes next. Sir Demis Hassabis, Max Jaderberg, and the team they have built deserve a country willing to match their ambition with its own, and we intend to make sure it does.

AI is the defining technology of our era. For Britain to shape its own future in the years ahead, the UK needs to strong, homegrown AI capability. That means backing the very best AI innovators, founders and entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life here – and grow and succeed from the UK. With the third largest AI market in the world and more AI startups than anywhere else in Europe, the UK is starting from a position of strength but we know we need to go further and faster.  Sovereign AI is the government doing exactly that: making sure the next wave of AI breakthroughs are built in Britain so the benefits – jobs, growth and innovation –  remain on our shores.  

All of the companies Sovereign AI supports have a meaningful presence here in the UK, and are set to create jobs and contribute to the economy here. 

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 12 May 2026.

Primary school children and teachers set to gain AI and digital skills as North East AI Growth Zone Taskforce meets to drive local opportunity.

• 30,000 local primary school children to gain AI and digital tech skills thanks to new funding from North East mayor
• 1,000 teachers backed to teach AI and 150 work placements to keep talent in North East
• Technology Secretary praises ‘strong partnerships’ driving AI Growth Zone Taskforce as billions of pounds invested and further support pledged to upskill women

Tens of thousands of young people and workers across the North East will gain new skills and career opportunities as a result of investment unlocked by the region’s AI Growth Zone, helping residents secure good jobs and local businesses grow.

Announced today (Tuesday 12 May) at the second meeting of the North East AI Growth Zone Taskforce, the package shows how the AI Growth Zone is delivering real benefits for communities – turning AI investment into skills, jobs and opportunity on the ground.

The North East mayor will back the effort with a new £750,000 investment in the government’s TechFirst programme, that will specifically ensure 30,000 primary school children benefit from early AI and digital skills. This will include ‘discovery days’ and local businesses engaging with schools to outline career paths and explain the wider benefits of AI – so children who will grow up with the technology as it develops are given a solid grounding to apply it in their lives.

This follows £1.5 million invested by the government in the North East through the programme, as part of a wider ambition to help 1 million young people from across the UK to benefit directly from the growth of AI, rather than being left behind.

For the first time, the mayor and government have also agreed a regional target – with 80,000 local students in the North East to benefit from the training until 2029.

This will be further complemented by commitments to support 1,000 local teachers to confidently teach AI while the Authority will deliver 150 local work placements, giving young people real experience and reasons to stay and work in the North East.

Speaking at the meeting today, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the AI Growth Zone is about more than technology – it is about ensuring growth reaches every part of the region. She praised the ‘stronger partnerships, new opportunities for local communities, and shared sense of purpose’ developing in the area since the Taskforce’s launch in September.

Meanwhile the North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has published the North East AI Growth Zone Prospectus for consultation, which sets out how it will build on the AI Growth Zone to support skills, adoption and innovation.

This includes proposals for creating good jobs, backing local talent, helping businesses adopt new technologies with confidence, and making sure the advantages of AI are not locked up in a few places, but spread across our towns, cities and communities.

As one part of this SAGE, Accenture and other leading businesses will come together to provide mentoring and leadership to help more women build long term careers in tech.

The AI Growth Zone has attracted major private investment, including £10 billion committed by QTS/Blackstone to build its new data centre with the potential to support up to 5,000 high‑quality jobs rooted in the North East.

Elsewhere the team behind Sovereign AI – a £500 million first-of-its-kind national effort to back Britain’s smartest founders and keep the future of AI built on British shores –  are hosting an event in Newcastle today, inviting some of the North East’s most ambitious AI startups to share their growth plans and ambitions, helping government support those driving growth and innovation in the region.

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

The North East is already showing how AI can deliver for working people, with billions of pounds invested and thousands of new jobs on the way, as businesses and government work together to make the region a leader in Britain’s AI future.

We’re investing in that progress for the long term. By giving young people the AI skills they need, supporting start-ups and acting to bring more women into tech we can keep talent and opportunity in the North East.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:

The North East is the one to watch when it comes to cutting-edge tech and AI as we work to make sure everyone benefits from our AI growth zone.     

We’re already working closely with local employers, training providers and schools to make the North East the best place to live, work and thrive when it comes to tech.

But we know we need to go further to make sure local people really benefit from more opportunities than ever before. That’s why we’re investing in training so our young people can make the most of the exciting opportunities around AI and working with some of the region’s brightest companies to support more women and girls in the tech sector.

Leading software company Sage is also boosting its work to widen access to AI skills and supporting innovation led by women across the region through 2 new partnerships. Working with Empowering You, as the founding partner of Empowering Women to Lead AI in Northern England, it will support women in the region to develop leadership skills in AI through workshops, coaching and group presentations.

In partnership with Techbible, an AI company focused on helping businesses manage their AI tools, it will host a hackathon at its headquarters in June, which will bring together women from businesses across the region to build and deploy AI agents, with no prior coding experience required.

Jonathan Cowan, EVP Product at Sage, said:

The North East has everything it needs to become the UK’s next major tech cluster, combining world‑class academic institutions, deep technical talent and a growing community of innovative businesses.

Through the AI Growth Zone, we have a real opportunity to support small businesses and strengthen the region’s role on the global AI stage. Sage is proud to play its part in our home region, including through partnerships that widen access to AI skills.

Notes to editors

• NECA are investing £750,000 each to expand TechFirst. It builds on £1.5m committed to the programme in the North East by the government over 3 years.
• The Sovereign AI roadshow will be in Newcastle on 12 May for an afternoon event hosted at Atom Bank, as part of its UK-wide engagement tour connecting with AI founders and ecosystems across the country.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 12 May 2026.

UK businesses are being urged to strengthen their cyber defences against fast-evolving AI-enabled threats.

• Businesses encouraged to sign Cyber Resilience Pledge to strengthen defences against fast-evolving AI-enabled threats 
• New figures show UK cyber security sector revenue has risen 11% to £14.7 billion, with firms up 20% to 2,603 
• Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to continue through Parliament following the King’s Speech, demonstrating the government’s long-term commitment to strengthen Britain’s foundations and build a more resilient country 

Businesses across the UK are being urged to strengthen their cyber defences, as the government takes action to protect the economy and essential services people rely on every day from fast-evolving cyber threats. 

As part of a wider push to shore up the UK’s cyber defences, ministers are urging organisations across the economy to boost their resilience by signing up to a Cyber Resilience Pledge. 

The pledge, launching later this year, sets out 3 concrete actions organisations can take to improve their cyber security: 

• making cyber security a board-level responsibility 
• signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre’s free Early Warning Service 
• require Cyber Essentials certification across their supply chains – the UK government-backed cyber security standard that blocks the most common cyber threats.

Together, these steps help businesses reduce risk, protect customers and build confidence across the wider economy. 

Ministers have written directly to some of the UK’s leading companies inviting them to sign up to the Cyber Resilience Pledge, and organisations are now encouraged to review the requirements and commit. The government is backing this shift with £90 million towards improving cyber resilience across the economy. 

The push comes as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will continue its passage through Parliament following the King’s Speech, demonstrating the government’s long-term commitment to protect critical national infrastructure, support economic growth and reduce the risk of disruption to essential services such as energy, water, healthcare and data centres. 

New figures published today also show the strength of the UK’s cyber security sector, which grew 11% last year to £14.7 billion, with the number of firms rising by 20% to 2,603 – underlining the UK’s position as a global cyber security leader and a fast‑growing engine of the economy. 

The sector created 2,300 jobs in the past year alone, reflecting rising demand for British cyber expertise as businesses and public services invest in stronger protection against increasingly sophisticated threats, including those enabled by AI. 

Ministers have warned that the threats businesses face in cyber space are changing, and the way they respond must change with it. A new generation of AI models is lowering the barrier for cyber criminals, enabling them to find vulnerabilities and carry out attacks at a speed and scale that would have been impossible even a year ago. Recent figures show 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year, underlining the urgency of action. 

The importance of taking action has been highlighted by recent research by the AI Security Institute, looking at frontier models like Mythos and GPT 5.5. Ministers are warning that traditional cyber protections alone are no longer enough. As AI accelerates the pace and scale of cyber attacks, organisations must now invest in smarter, more resilient systems that can limit the impact of breaches and keep ahead of attackers – rather than constantly reacting after the damage is done. 

The UK is not standing still in response to this threat. We have built the AI Security Institute, the most advanced capability of any government in the world for understanding frontier AI systems. This ensures that your government can have an independently verified, robust assessment of current capabilities.  

More broadly, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, is world-leading in defending the UK online, and continues to publish practical guidance every business can use.   

Cyber Security Minister Baroness Lloyd said: 

Cyber security is now fundamental to economic growth, job creation and the resilience of the services people rely on every day. 

The UK has a world‑class cyber sector that is creating skilled jobs and protecting our economy – and government is doing more by investing in its own defences, legislating to require more of essential services and setting clear national standards. 

As threats evolve, businesses of all sizes need to step up and take practical action now. The Cyber Resilience Pledge is a clear call for companies to strengthen their defences, protect their customers and play their part in keeping the UK secure and competitive.

CEOs are urged to harness the expertise and innovation of UK cyber startups, building partnerships that drive the development and adoption of advanced solutions, such as memory-safe systems that are significantly less vulnerable, to keep our economy ahead of adversaries. 

Cyber security for AI is itself also an emerging growth area, with the number of UK firms offering cyber security products or services for AI up 68% in 2025 compared to the previous year – reinforcing the UK’s position as both a leader in innovation and a responder to new threats.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 11 May 2026.

• An extra 9,500 homes and businesses in Essex to receive faster, reliable internet as part of the government’s Project Gigabit roll out.  
• Expansion of gigabit rollout to cover full fibre blackspots in urban areas, as well as the countryside.  
• Openreach will extend its broadband rollout to additional homes, supported by £8.3 million government funding.  

More than 9,500 more homes and businesses in Essex burdened with older broadband will be upgraded to fast and reliable internet as the government expands its Project Gigabit rollout. 

Building on the success of upgrades in rural Essex – where over 10,000 premises are already set to benefit from this agreement and 500 have been completed already – this marks the first Project Gigabit contract to target pockets of poor connectivity in towns and cities as well as the countryside. 

Backed by an extra £8.3 million in government funding, Openreach is extending its broadband rollout to more homes and businesses in Essex – connecting communities that would have otherwise missed out in earlier commercial plans. This latest investment builds on the £1.2 billion originally earmarked for the provider to build in disconnected areas.  

Work to connect the premises will begin immediately, covering areas including, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Basildon, Clacton and Ardleigh. 

UK Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said: 

“Project Gigabit is bringing better internet to more blackspots across the UK, thanks to government backing. This is the very first contract that’s focusing on urban areas, not just the countryside.  

“Pockets of our towns and cities are still left disconnected. To reach our 99% coverage target, it is vital no urban neighbourhood slips through the net. 

“We’ve already got the ball rolling to connect areas of Essex missing out, and now we’re extending our efforts so that even more residents can access the digital opportunities they deserve.”  

Kieran Wines, Openreach Partnership Director for London and the South East, said:  

“As well as reaching rural communities, it’s vital we keep strengthening connectivity in towns and cities. This Project Gigabit contract helps us extend full fibre broadband into more urban neighbourhoods across Essex, adding to the almost 575,000 homes and businesses across the county that we’ve already reached through our own rollout.” 

While much of Essex can be quickly upgraded through existing underground ducting that avoids the need for digging up roads, some areas – including housing estates, business parks and blocks of flats – are currently connected via underground cables without it, making them too costly for providers to reach via commercial rollout due to the additional engineering works.  

Over 1.3 million premises across the UK have been upgraded thanks to government support to date, largely in rural areas where gigabit coverage is lower. Connecting hard-to-reach premises in urban areas will be vital to achieving the government’s target of full gigabit coverage by 2030 and the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity across the country.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 10 April 2026.

The UK government is considering tougher measures against criminals exploiting gadgets designed to hack doorbells and vehicle tracking systems.

• UK government investigates rising misuse of radiofrequency jammers to commit crime, from hacking video doorbells to enable burglaries to bringing airports to a halt
• Devices, disguised as everyday tech like digital watches, are being used by criminals to commit theft and disrupt public services people rely on daily.
• Possessing a jamming device could be made illegal as part of crackdown, subject to public and industry views in new call for evidence launched today

A crackdown of radio frequency jammers, which are designed or modified to block or interfere with wireless communications, is on the cards under government action outlined today.

From blocking GPS signals in vehicles to aid theft, to compromising positions during military operations, misuse of these gadgets happens at all levels of criminal activity, posing a real and growing risk to people and critical national infrastructure. 

Criminals often disguise radiofrequency jammers as everyday objects to break into homes by disabling security systems, such as video doorbells, or break into vehicles bypassing security systems and quickly emptying vans of tools. These devices are also used in shoplifting to block wireless security tags, preventing alarms and making theft easier. Additionally, jammers can interfere with mobile coverage and emergency radio networks – hindering how emergency services respond to incidents.

Just one week of disruption to the UK’s vital positioning, navigation and timing infrastructure could cost the UK economy up to £7.64 billion – threatening jobs, businesses and ways of life. 

In response, the government is seeking views from the public and key industry stakeholders across the country, including mobile network operators, law enforcement agencies and specialists from the transport and infrastructure sectors, on the current regulations and enforcement for the jammers. 

UK Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said: 

We are stepping up efforts to stop the illegal use of jamming devices which are threatening not only our daily lives, but also our vital public services across the country.

This is an opportunity for the public and industry experts to have their say on how we safeguard our homes, businesses, transport networks and more from those seeking to exploit these technologies.

By gathering a broad range of informed opinions, we can make sure any future measures we introduce are rooted in evidence and address the real issues people area facing.

The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 bans the use and possession of non-compliant equipment, but proving a person used a jammer to cause interference can be difficult to evidence. The Crime and Policing Bill will make it illegal to possess or share electronic devices used to steal cars and could lead up to 5 years in prison.  

The insights from this call for evidence could inform legislation on the possession of all other types of jamming. It will clarify the legitimate uses of radiofrequency jammers, like in secure environments such as in prisons to prevent inmates from using contraband mobile phones or military exercises in combat, and how current regulations could be improved. 

Feedback from this call for evidence will inform any future legislation so that any new measures are based on evidence and proportionate, while effectively protecting critical national infrastructure from illegal threats. 

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 8 April 2026.

Sir Ian Cheshire named as preferred candidate for Ofcom Chair, subject to parliamentary hearing before final appointment is confirmed.

• The Secretary of State for Science and Technology, Liz Kendall, announces Sir Ian Cheshire as the government’s preferred candidate to be appointed as Chair of Ofcom
• Subject to parliamentary hearing, Sir Ian will be appointed for a 4-year term
• The former Chair of Channel 4, Sir Ian’s career spans senior leadership across the private and public sectors making him ideally suited to lead Ofcom through its next chapter

Business leader Sir Ian Cheshire has been announced as the preferred candidate to be appointed as Chair of Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator for communications.

Sir Ian brings extensive experience of senior leadership across the private and public sectors, with a strong track record in governance, consumer facing regulation and organisational change.

Most recently, Sir Ian was the Chair of Channel 4, having been appointed in April 2022 before leaving at the end of his term in April 2025. If appointed to Ofcom, he would succeed Lord Michael Grade, whose term as Chair concludes at the end of April 2026.

He has previously served as Chief Executive of Kingfisher plc, leading a major international retail group operating across multiple markets, before going on to hold a number of senior non‑executive and advisory roles spanning business, sustainability and public policy, including as Chair of Barclays UK, Debenhams plc, Maisons du Monde and Menhaden plc.

The Chair of Ofcom plays a critical role in providing strategic leadership to the organisation as it delivers its statutory responsibilities, including overseeing the implementation and enforcement of the Online Safety Act, protecting consumers and supporting growth and innovation across the UK’s communications sectors.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

The work of Ofcom has never been more relevant to people’s lives, from protecting people online to supporting the growth of our communications sector. The organisation sits at the heart of some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the country.

Sir Ian has a proven track record of leading complex organisations through periods of significant change, and that is exactly the kind of leadership Ofcom needs right now. 

I also want to pay tribute to Lord Grade for his contribution as Chair. He has steered Ofcom through a period of profound change, and his leadership during the introduction of the Online Safety Act has been pivotal.

Sir Ian Cheshire said:

Across my career in e-commerce, telecoms and broadcasting I have seen first-hand how much effective regulation matters – for consumers, for businesses and for the wider economy. Ofcom has a critical job to do at a time of rapid change in how people communicate, access information and stay safe online. I look forward to setting out my vision for how Ofcom can meet those challenges when I appear before the Select Committee.

In April 2015, Sir Ian was appointed government Lead Non-Executive, a role he was reappointed to for a further 3 years in April 2018. That same year, he also became Lead Non-Executive Member of the Cabinet Office Board.

The preferred candidate will now be subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee, before a final appointment decision is confirmed.

Notes to editors

The Chair of Ofcom is remunerated at £120,000 per annum for a time commitment of 3 days per week. 

This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. 

Pre-appointment hearings enable select committees to take evidence from preferred candidates for major public appointments before they are appointed.  

Hearings are in public and involve the select committee publishing a report setting out their views on the candidate’s suitability for the post.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 10 March 2026.

Tech firms must do more to protect women and girls online or face further action, Tech Secretary Liz Kendall warns at major platform roundtable.

• Government tells tech companies to go further and faster in implementing safety measures to protect women and girls online
• Warning comes after government takes decisive action to tackle online violence and Ofcom issues practical guidance to tech firms
• Tech Secretary encourages Ofcom to report on which companies are failing to act soon as possible, to inform women and girls which platforms decide not to protect them

Major technology companies must use every tool at their disposal to protect women and girls from abuse and misogyny online – or face further action from government, the Tech Secretary Liz Kendall warns.

Holding a roundtable, on Monday 9 March, with leading companies including Snapchat, Meta, YouTube and TikTok, the Secretary of State urged platforms to go further and faster in implementing safety measures.

The warning follows a series of robust interventions the government has taken to meet its commitment to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade. Over the past 6 months alone, the government has made intimate image abuse, cyberflashing and choking priority offences under the Online Safety Act – treating this material with the same seriousness as child abuse or terrorism and placing legal duties on platforms to stop this content before it reaches users.

In January, the Prime Minister called out Grok for the despicable, illegal sexualised images of women and girls that were being spread on its site, and the government then acted within days to fast-track legislation to ban the creation of non‑consensual intimate deepfakes.

And new legal requirements introduced by the government mean tech firms must now remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours of being flagged, shifting the burden from victims to platforms. This month, an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill also created a new offence criminalising so‑called “nudification apps”, AI tools that generate synthetic sexualised images of women and girls.

Having taken these decisive steps, the government is now clear that tech companies must match that level of action. Three months ago, Ofcom set out important measures that companies can take to reduce online misogynistic abuse, harassment, stalking and image‑based sexual abuse – including prompts to reconsider harmful posts, limits on pile‑ons, stronger privacy defaults and hash‑matching for intimate images.

The regulator is expected to report on what platforms are failing to comply and the government is encouraging Ofcom to do so as soon as possible, enabling women and girls – and the wider public – to make informed decisions about where they spend their time online. 

Tech Secretary Liz Kendall said:

Every woman and girl deserves to be safe online and we will stop at nothing to ensure the digital world is working for them, not against them.

This government has taken tough action to tackle intimate image abuse, deepfakes and the online harms women and girls face every day.

Now, tech companies must go above and beyond to use the tools readily available to them to make their platforms safer. If they don’t, these companies are not innocent bystanders – they are enabling abuse to thrive.

That is why we are asking Ofcom to report swiftly on how companies are complying, because better safety and better accountability go hand in hand.

Later this week, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall will also convene the Women in Tech Taskforce, which is focused on ensuring women are at the table in shaping the technologies of the future – tackling bias in tech design and helping build online spaces that prevent harm to women and girls from the outset.

Last week, the government also launched a public consultation, calling on parents, guardians, and young people across the UK  to shape the country’s next steps on children’s digital wellbeing.

The consultation will gather insights from the public on how to keep children safe online across social media, AI chatbots and gaming platforms, and the government will respond in the Summer.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 2 March 2026.

Government launches a landmark consultation on UK children’s digital wellbeing, covering social media age bans, curfews, AI chatbots and gaming.

• Expansive consultation opens to explore measures to keep children safe across the internet, from social media to gaming sites
• Consultation will consider whether to ban social media for children, effects of gaming, restriction of AI chatbots features, and overnight curfews
• Government will run real-world pilots with families and teenagers to examine how potential future social media restrictions could work in practice

Parents, guardians, and young people across the UK are being urged to shape the country’s next steps on children’s digital wellbeing, as the UK government opens the world’s most ambitious consultation on social media today (Monday 2 March).

The consultation will gather insights from the public on how to keep children safe online across social media, AI chatbots and gaming platforms.

Millions of parents across the country worry about what social media is doing to their children’s sleep, concentration and mental health. Many feel they are fighting a losing battle against platforms designed to keep children scrolling. They are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having. They worry about their children talking to chatbots as if they’re real people and relying on their advice.

The Online Safety Act brought in strong protections, but there is growing agreement that more needs to be done. The contributions to this consultation will determine how the government will decide what that looks like.

Many parents and campaign groups have called for an outright ban on social media for under-16s. Others, including children’s charities, have warned that a blanket ban could drive children towards less regulated corners of the internet or leave teenagers unprepared when they do come online. That is why this consultation looks beyond a ban and covers a full range of options, from curfews, to the impact of chatbots and gaming. It also asks the questions about how any new rules would work in practice to ensure they are effective.

Key questions the consultation will explore include some of the most talked-about potential changes:

• whether there should be a minimum age for social media, and if so, what age would be right
• whether platforms should be required to switch off addictive features that keep children hooked late into the night – like infinite scrolling and autoplay
• whether mandatory overnight curfews would help children sleep better and what age they should apply to
• whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restriction
• how age verification enforcement should be strengthened
• how to help children and parents navigate the digital world and thrive online

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

The path to a good life is a great childhood, one full of love, learning and play. That applies just as much to the online world as it does to the real one.

We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.

This is why we’re asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation on how young people can thrive in an age of rapid technological change.

Together, we will create a digital world that gives young people the childhood they deserve and prepares them for the future.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

Technology is fundamentally changing childhood. Used well, it can open up new opportunities for learning, creativity and connection, but only if we get the balance right. That is why we want to hear directly from parents, teachers and young people about how we strike that balance and give children the very best childhood in a digital age.

Today’s consultation is a vital next step. For the first time, we will also publish guidance on healthy screen time for children aged 5 to 16, giving parents the practical tools to help their children build a healthier relationship with technology from an early age.

Every child deserves a childhood – real experiences, real friendships, real opportunities. We are determined to make that a reality, both inside and outside the classroom.

The 3-month consultation is open to everyone with a view:

• parents
• carers
• young people
• those who work with children
• civil society organisations
• academics
• industry

Dedicated versions have been developed for young people and for parents and carers, making it easier for them to share their experiences and views. 

The consultation will close on 26 May 2026.

The government will respond in the summer, acting swiftly on the evidence gathered. 

The Prime Minister and Technology Secretary have announced new legislative powers that will allow the government to act at pace on the consultation’s findings – meaning that once passed, ministers can move within months instead of waiting years for new legislation every time technology evolves. 

The government will also work with parents to run live pilots with teenagers to test interventions including social media bans, overnight curfews, and daily screen time limits in practice, so decisions are grounded in real-world evidence as well as public views.  

The public’s views are essential to getting the next steps right. That’s why alongside the formal consultation, the government is launching one of its most wide-ranging national conversations on a public issue in recent years. Over the coming 3 months, families, young people, and communities across the UK will be invited to share their views, including through dedicated children’s and parent’s versions of the consultation. The national conversation will include community events, MP-led local conversations, influencer roundtables, and engagement through schools and civil society organisations. A parallel academic panel will also assess the developing evidence base, drawing on international experiences from countries including Australia.

The consultation sits alongside the government’s wider approach to online safety, including a new campaign and website that provides practical support that parents can use immediately, giving them the confidence they need to have conversations with their children about the content they see online.

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 19 February 2026.

First-ever AI Strategy for UK Research and Innovation marks bold plan to make AI deliver for UK’s cutting-edge science and research efforts.

• First-ever AI Strategy for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) marks bold plan to make AI deliver for UK’s cutting-edge science and research efforts, supporting breakthroughs from health to clean energy and beyond
• AI ambitions for UK’s largest public research funder backed by record £1.6 billion, directly targeted at the AI sector between now and the end of the decade
• From screening for cancer to harnessing clean energy, research and innovation is critical to making AI work for good: a key theme of this year’s AI Impact Summit

AI will be put to work to transform cutting-edge research into innovations that benefit us all – from better healthcare and new public services to cutting edge products. 

The UK’s largest public research funder UKRI has set out its first-ever plan to put AI to work for the nation’s world-leading innovators today (Thursday 19 February) – building on the UK’s historic strengths in fields like computing and agentic AI. 

UKRI-backed work on AI is already making a difference across society and the economy – from the world-leading RADAR AI system that detects faults on the railway network in real time, to the IXI Brain Atlas which is supporting more than 40 clinical trials into degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s by helping to analyse brain scans. 

In the recent Spending Review settlement, UKRI committed a record £1.6 billion of funding directly targeted at the AI sector over the next 4 years, its biggest single investment area for 2026 to 2030. This includes funding for specific activity that UKRI will deliver on behalf of  the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) – which is subject to change as delivery plans are finalised. It also sits alongside significant additional AI investment woven through the broader UKRI budget.  

The new strategy signals UKRI’s intention to make major investments in mathematics, computer science and engineering research which underpin AI expertise. World-class researchers and businesses across the UK will also benefit from better access to the right tools, training and infrastructure to unlock new growth across the UK. This will help bring to life innovations that make people’s lives better – a key theme of the India AI Impact Summit which continues this week. 

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who is leading the UK delegation at the India AI Impact Summit, said: 

The UK is backing its pioneering AI leadership with more than £1.6 billion in investment to make sure the best of British expertise develops the next wave of AI innovations. Together we are turning potential into progress and that’s the ambition I am bringing to the AI Summit in India this week.

From spotting cancers earlier to cutting backlogs in public services, new research into AI will be a game-changer, bringing the promise of tomorrow’s technologies to the UK today.

UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said: 

The potential of combining our AI expertise with our peerless R&D community is a game-changer. This plan will harness AI to accelerate both the pace and possibility of scientific endeavour.

We are already seeing AI change the game for what’s possible in fields from health, to energy, and beyond. Boldly backing this technology is how we push our Great British innovators to further success, and build a path to breakthroughs that boost our health, wealth, and wellbeing.

The strategy also commits to expanding doctoral and fellowship routes co-designed with businesses. It will also support recognised career frameworks for research software engineers, data scientists and ethics specialists – supporting the high-paying jobs of the future.  

AI is one of the central growth sectors in the UK’s industrial strategy. UKRI’s plan will turn the UK’s scientific excellence into economic advantage by supporting regional clusters, creating new jobs and backing technologies with high-growth potential.  

Professor Charlotte Deane, Senior Responsible Owner for the UKRI AI Programme and Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said:  

The UK has deep strengths in AI. From the country of Alan Turing and Ada Lovelace, we have a world-class tradition in mathematics and computer science. This strategy will turn that research excellence into national advantage.

To do that, we must make bold choices in areas where the UK can genuinely lead the world. UKRI will play a central role in backing the full innovation pathway from fundamental research to prototypes to scale-up.

By uniting universities, businesses, industry and government we can unlock the potential we have long had but have not yet fully mobilised.

Areas of focus 

Under the new strategic framework, investment will focus on 6 priority areas:  

• advancing technology development  
• transforming research through AI  
• developing AI skills and talent  
• accelerating innovation for economic growth and societal benefit 
• championing responsible and trustworthy AI 
• building world-class AI data and infrastructure 

Central to UKRI’s plan is building a strong research and innovation community which will support them with the skills they need to become the AI leaders of the future.  

UKRI-backed AI research is already making a difference to everyday life, from the world’s first system spotting railway faults before they cause delays to a tool detecting online harm to keep us safe. In healthcare, AI-powered brain imaging is helping to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.  

Now UKRI is now putting its weight behind AI. Under the new strategy, it will help to deliver:  

• up to £137 million as part of DSIT’s AI for Science Strategy to back AI-enabled scientific discovery starting with drug discovery and new treatments 
• £36 million to upgrade the University of Cambridge’s “DAWN” supercomputer supporting breakthroughs in areas like healthcare and environmental modelling. 

Today’s AI is built on decades of curiosity-driven research across mathematics, computer science, neuroscience and linguistics.  

The strategy will create an environment where discovery-led research continues to thrive. It will simplify programmes and remove barriers, supporting researchers through the journey from fundamental research to prototypes to scale-up.