On 21 July 2026 the United Kingdom appointed Kanishka Narayan as Minister for Artificial Intelligence; this is the first AI ministerial role to attend the Prime Minister’s Cabinet.
Role and significance
- Cabinet-level appointment: First AI minister to sit at the Prime Minister’s Cabinet table; Cabinet is the UK’s senior collective decision-making body.
- Policy remit: Covers artificial intelligence, online safety and digital regulation within government portfolios.
Departmental changes
- DSIT dissolved: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was disbanded during a reshuffle in 2026.
- Function reallocation: AI and online harms responsibilities were transferred into an expanded Department for Business and Trade and the Culture Department.
Who is Kanishka Narayan?
- Parliamentary status: Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan since 2024.
- Prior role: Served as Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for AI and Online Safety from September 2025 until the July 2026 appointment.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- Artificial intelligence: Computer systems that perform tasks associated with human intelligence, such as pattern recognition and language processing.
- Whitehall: Administrative centre of the UK government in London.
- House of Commons: Elected lower house of the UK Parliament.
- Google DeepMind: UK‑based AI research company known for advances in machine learning.