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 Artificial Intelligence 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, saying engagement from UK chief executives had been significant in recent days as businesses assess the implications of its newest Artificial Intelligence systems. The move also comes after a push by UK officials to attract the company, following tensions between Anthropic and the US government over defence-related use of its models. Tech secretary Liz Kendall said the expansion showed confidence in British expertise and the country’s ambition to build a leading hub for Artificial Intelligence companies.
The announcement coincides with the rollout of Anthropic’s new Artificial Intelligence model, Mythos, to UK financial institutions under a controlled access programme. The model has identified thousands of previously unknown vulnerabilities, including zero-day flaws across major systems, prompting concerns among regulators about 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 warned the technology 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 Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, as well as selected public bodies. The UK’s Artificial Intelligence Security Institute, which tested the model and described it as the firm’s most capable yet, said it marks an advance on previous systems in simulating complex cyber attacks.
