The UK government has appointed tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford as advisor to the prime minister Keir Starmer on artificial intelligence, charged with overseeing efforts to “revolutionise” public services by using the technology.
Clifford, the cofounder and former CEO of talent accelerator Entrepreneur First (EF), previously helped Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak organise the world’s first global AI safety summit in 2023. The incoming Labour government later recruited him to devise a new AI strategy, released on Monday.
Clifford announced the appointment on LinkedIn earlier today. It’s unclear yet what the new role will involve, but Sifted understands part of the remit will include helping to implement the report’s recommendations. The UK government and Matt Clifford did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
“It’s a very good sign that Matt Clifford will be overseeing the delivery of this plan. Its success will partially depend on who is inside government for the long-term to carry forward this vision through to implementation,” said Anastasia Bektimirova, head of science and technology at the Entrepreneurs Network.
A stalwart of the UK startup scene, Clifford’s ongoing involvement steering the government’s tech strategy has also drawn some scepticism, with one unnamed tech executive previously telling the Financial Times he had been granted “vast amounts of power” despite not being elected to high office. The government said at the time that he had “no role” in deciding government policy.
Clifford was first appointed to a government role by the Conservatives in 2022 when he became the chair of the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), an independent funding body established to support startups. He was also appointed on a government taskforce focused on the risks and opportunities of foundational models to the UK economy.
Alongside Alice Bentinck, Clifford in 2011 cofounded accelerator EF, which now counts insurtech unicorn Tractable and buzzy fintech Cleo among its alumni.
After expanding internationally, the accelerator is now more US-focused, and requires all its startups to move to California for the second part of its programme that leads up to demo day, as well as officially incorporate their companies in the US.
Clifford’s not the only tech figure working in government. Entrepreneur and founder of VC Plural Ian Hogarth is the chair of the AI Safety Institute, the research division of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which minister Peter Kyle leads.
Cybersecurity company Darktrace founder Poppy Gustafsson was also appointed as investment minister after the new Labour government was elected in October.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/matt-clifford-to-oversee-ai-revolution-news/
