Kanishka Narayan Takes UK AI Policy Into Cabinet
Kanishka Narayan’s expanded role puts AI closer to the center of government decision-making during a wider reorganization of technology policy.
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Image Credit- Chetan Jha/ MIT Sloan Management Review India
Britain has elevated its artificial intelligence portfolio to Cabinet level, giving Kanishka Narayan responsibility for connecting AI policy with economic strategy, public-sector adoption and national technology capacity.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham appointed Narayan minister of state for artificial intelligence on Monday, 20 July. Narayan will serve jointly in the Cabinet Office and the new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and will attend Cabinet meetings.
He is not a full Cabinet minister or secretary of state. The arrangement nevertheless gives the AI portfolio direct access to the government’s main decision-making forum.
The appointment coincides with a significant restructuring of British technology policy. Burnham has folded the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology into a broader department covering business, trade, science and innovation.
That leaves Narayan with a potentially important coordinating role. AI policy cuts across computing infrastructure, energy, semiconductors, intellectual property, public procurement, online safety and national security, areas that are otherwise divided among several departments and regulators.
The government has not yet published a detailed account of Narayan’s new responsibilities. In his previous position as parliamentary under-secretary for AI and online safety since September 2025 under Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, his portfolio covered AI adoption, the AI Security Institute, semiconductors, technology-led growth, the Intellectual Property Office and online safety.
He previously reported to Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who left the government during Burnham’s Cabinet reshuffle.
Britain’s Place in the AI Stack
Narayan has argued that Britain should not try to match the US and China solely through spending or computing scale. Instead, he favors targeted investment in parts of the AI stack where the country has research, commercial or regulatory advantages.
He has identified computer vision, drug discovery and sustainable-materials research as areas of strength. He has also pointed to limited capital, energy infrastructure and electricity-grid capacity as obstacles to expanding British AI companies and data centers.
His approach combines domestic capability with international partnerships. Narayan has called for Britain to work with the US and other mid-sized technology powers while building greater control over strategically important capabilities, including cybersecurity, chips and defense systems.
The expanded role will put those arguments against practical tests. Among the immediate issues are how Britain increases computing capacity, accelerates AI adoption across government and business, supports semiconductor development and resolves disputes between AI developers and copyright holders.
Narayan will also inherit questions over the balance between encouraging investment and regulating advanced systems. The AI Security Institute and Britain’s online-safety regime give the government established institutions, but responsibility for AI use remains spread across departments responsible for health, education, defense, policing and welfare.
Narayan has represented the Welsh constituency of Vale of Glamorgan since July 2024. Before entering Parliament, he worked in finance and venture capital and studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University before completing an MBA at Stanford University.
