UK appoints first AI minister Kanishka Narayan as tech department is abolished

Kanishka Narayan, an India‑born Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan, was appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as the United Kingdom’s first cabinet‑level Minister for Artificial Intelligence. Narayan, who previously served as Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and as Parliamentary Under‑Secretary for AI and Online Safety, will lead the new AI portfolio.

At the same time, the government dismantled the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), eliminating the dedicated technology secretary role. Its functions were divided among the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and the Cabinet Office, creating split reporting lines for digital services, compute strategy, data infrastructure and digital skills. Industry groups such as Tech UK and the Startup Coalition warned that the restructuring could create coordination gaps for the nation’s AI and broader technology agenda.