AI minister secures cabinet seat as DSIT merged with new business department

AI minister Kanishka Narayan has been given a seat in incoming prime minister Andy Burnham’s cabinet following a reshuffle.

Narayan described the move as a sign of Burnham’s “deep commitment to AI’s importance” to the UK economy.

“AI is likely the most significant technology in human history. Its impact will dwarf other things,” Narayan said in a post on X.

“The best case for it is compelling beyond our dreams: a reindustrialised Britain, stronger national security, public services transformed for the better. The risks, too, are real: it is right that the British public shares those worries, for jobs, for the pace of change.”

The move comes as the UK's Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), where the AI minister role used to sit, has been scrapped in the wake of Burnham’s appointment.

Under the new setup, DSIT responsibilities will be merged with the freshly minted Department for Business, Innovation, Science, and Trade (DBIST), led by Jonathan Reynolds.

The role of technology secretary has also been cut.

AI focus welcomed

Mark Boost, chief executive of UK-based cloud computing firm, Civo, said retaining and elevating Narayan is a reassuring signal for UK businesses.

“Giving the AI minister direct access to cabinet decisions demonstrates that the government recognizes AI’s existential importance to our future economy,” he said.

“Positioned inside a high-powered business and trade department, an AI Minister with Cabinet authority will have real leverage to break down cross-Whitehall silos, accelerate national AI infrastructure, and give British tech companies the proactive backing needed to maintain a competitive global advantage.”

Andy McLean, CEO of the UK Semiconductor Centre, echoed Boost’s comments, noting that Narayan’s new role is a “positive signal of the importance being placed on AI at the center of government”.

Boost added, however, that any delays to AI-related initiatives caused by the DSIT shake-up could have a significant impact on global competitiveness.

“Any Whitehall restructuring brings administrative friction, and because the global tech and AI arms race is moving so quickly, the UK simply cannot afford a pause,” he said.

“Critical initiatives like the AI Opportunities Action Plan and sovereign infrastructure investments must be ring-fenced from bureaucratic delays.”

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