UK Elevates AI Minister as Burnham Scraps Tech Department

Britain created the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, or DSIT, on Feb. 7, 2023, under then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to coordinate science, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and digital government. Its portfolio grew to include the AI Security Institute and the £500 million Sovereign AI program, making the department central to Britain’s efforts to develop domestic capabilities and compete in a field increasingly shaped by the US and China.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham abolished DSIT after taking office on July 20, 2026, transferring its responsibilities to the new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, led by Jonathan Reynolds. Kanishka Narayan was promoted to Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, serving jointly in the Cabinet Office and the expanded business department. Narayan will attend Cabinet, making him Britain’s first dedicated AI minister with a seat at the government’s top decision-making table.