Britain has announced a major package of support aimed at strengthening its position as a global hub for open-source artificial intelligence development, with new funding, mentorship opportunities and direct engagement between young developers and government.
Speaking at the AI Summit during London Tech Week AI Minister Kanishka Narayan indicated that the defining question of the AI era is not only what the technology can achieve, but who gets to shape and control its development.
“Britain must back the builders who will shape the AI revolution, with the tools, the support and the routes to scale.”
Kanishka Narayan
AI Minister added that, “we want those people choosing to build here in Britain. And we want them to know that this is a country that backs them to succeed.”
The statement comes after the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and NVIDIA hosted a hackathon over the weekend called “Hack for Impact.” Using public datasets from the City of London, hundreds of open-source AI developers from all across the UK came together to create solutions that address issues in urban infrastructure and public services.
The initiative, according to the government, is part of a larger effort to improve cooperation between developer communities and public institutions, especially in open-source ecosystems where tools are developed collaboratively and iteratively.
Additionally, the government established a new Open-Source AI Builder Fund that will provide over £500,000 in computing resources for the best initiatives that came out of the hackathon. The fund will provide 160,000 GPU-hours of processing power from the AI Research Resource in the UK, allowing early-stage prototypes to be expanded into publicly available tools.
In addition to the cash package, winning teams will be paired with professionals from the government’s internal AI development arm, the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI), through an Open-Source AI Builder Mentoring Scheme. The plan aims to close the gap between working public-sector apps and experimental prototypes.
Ten UK-based developers under 30 will form the Open-Source AI Developer Board, a third project, to provide direct government advice on AI development and implementation. Throughout 2026, the board, led by Narayan, will hold a number of roundtables to provide young technologists a formal avenue to influence policy.
AI Tools Target Public Services, Health and Infrastructure
Projects showcased at the hackathon included tools designed to help Londoners locate essential services such as libraries, public toilets and polling stations, as well as systems aimed at supporting NHS patients on waiting lists by identifying gaps in care and drafting follow-up communications.
Other proposals focused on improving economic and civic resilience, including platforms to identify unclaimed business grants, warn of transport and road disruptions, and strengthen emergency communications systems. One concept explored the use of satellite connectivity to ensure 999 emergency services remain operational during mobile network outages.
Officials said the diversity of projects highlighted the growing role of AI in addressing both everyday civic needs and critical infrastructure challenges.
Furthermore, Narayan positioned the initiative as part of a longer tradition of British technological openness, citing historic breakthroughs such as the World Wide Web and AlphaFold as examples of innovation driven by open collaboration.
“The best AI tools in the world won’t be built behind closed doors by a handful of companies. They’ll be built by people who ship code, share it, and let others make it better.”
Kanishka Narayan
AI Minister added that existing programmes, including the Open-Source Fellowship run by AI, have already brought in researchers from UK universities to develop AI tools for sectors such as education and policing.
Infrastructure, Design and Robotics Expansion
As part of the broader AI strategy, Narayan also announced a new RIBA x DSIT Data Centre Design Challenge, the first government-backed competition of its kind in the UK. In partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects, the initiative aims to ensure that the rapid expansion of data centres incorporates high-quality design, environmental sustainability and meaningful engagement with local communities.
The challenge will bring together architects, engineers and civic groups to reimagine data centres not only as critical digital infrastructure, but as assets with civic and social value.
In a further development, the government announced a partnership between the Regulatory Innovation Office and the Health & Safety Executive to provide clearer guidance on collaborative robotics. The initiative will focus on establishing the first joint framework for how robots can safely operate alongside humans in workplaces, as automation continues to expand across industries.
The package is intended to strengthen Britain’s position as a global hub for open-source AI innovation, while ensuring emerging technologies are developed in ways that are transparent, inclusive and aligned with public needs.
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