Keir Starmer\u2019s artificial intelligence tsar, a key figure in steering the government\u2019s approach to artificial intelligence, is stepping down after six months in the role.<\/p>\n
Matt Clifford, the author of the government\u2019s AI opportunities action plan<\/a>, said: he would leave his post next month for personal reasons.<\/p>\n He described his work on drafting and implementing the 50-point plan<\/a> as a \u201cprivilege\u201d, adding he was \u201chugely optimistic about the UK\u2019s potential to be an AI superpower\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFor family reasons, I will step back from my role as the prime minister\u2019s adviser on AI opportunities at the end of July, but I\u2019m delighted that this important work will continue across government.\u201d<\/p>\n A government spokesperson said Starmer had thanked Clifford, who was appointed in January, for his \u201cdedicated work\u201d on AI policy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be building on this work to bolster AI expertise across government and cement the UK\u2019s position as a world leader in AI,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Clifford came to prominence as a tech investor \u2013 he is the chair of the investment firm Entrepreneurs First \u2013 but was already established as an influential political adviser before Labour<\/a> won the 2024 general election.<\/p>\n The 39-year-old played a crucial role in organising the global AI Safety summit, hosted by Rishi Sunak in 2023, and establishing the government\u2019s AI Safety Institute, now called the AI Security Institute.<\/p>\n Clifford published the action plan in January and its recommendations<\/a> were accepted in full by the government. They included: creating AI \u201cgrowth zones\u201d to host datacentres that are the \u201ccentral nervous system\u201d of the technology; embedding AI in the public sector; and creating \u201cnational champion\u201d AI companies.<\/p>\n The plan also recommended changes to the UK\u2019s copyright regime, reflecting the need for AI companies to use copyright-protected data to train their systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Get the day\u2019s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The issue has become a battleground between the government and the tech sector on one side and the creative industries on the other, who argue that it poses a serious threat to creative professionals\u2019 livelihoods.<\/p>\n