Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Declares No Personal Use of AI While Launching £500‑Million Industry Fund

In a statement that has attracted both commendation and scrutiny from parliamentary watchdogs, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology announced on Thursday the creation of a new £500 million fund designed to accelerate the growth of British artificial‑intelligence enterprises, while simultaneously asserting that she does not employ any AI‑driven tools in the execution of her ministerial duties, a claim that has prompted a broader debate about the transparency, oversight and ethical standards expected of senior public officials tasked with steering a sector that is itself predicated on the deployment of algorithmic decision‑making systems, and which, according to the minister, must be cultivated in a manner that safeguards national security, protects individual privacy and ensures that the benefits of the technology are distributed equitably across the United Kingdom's regions and demographic groups; the declaration, made during a press conference held at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's headquarters in London, was framed by the minister as an effort to model responsible behaviour, yet critics from opposition parties and civil‑society organisations have questioned whether a complete avoidance of AI tools is feasible or even advisable for a senior official whose portfolio includes oversight of research funding, regulation of emerging technologies and the coordination of international collaborations on data‑intensive projects, noting that the very infrastructure that underpins modern governance – from document drafting software to data analysis platforms – increasingly incorporates machine‑learning components that can enhance efficiency, reduce error rates, and provide evidence‑based insights that are essential for informed policy‑making, thereby positioning the minister's self‑imposed restriction as a potential signal of either a principled stance on digital ethics or a possible misunderstanding of the practical realities of contemporary public administration, a nuance that will likely be explored in forthcoming parliamentary hearings and Committee inquiries into the Department's operational practices.

The £500 million fund, which is slated to be distributed over the next five years through a mixture of grants, equity investments and co‑funding arrangements with private sector partners, aims to foster a vibrant domestic AI ecosystem by targeting start‑ups and scale‑ups that demonstrate technical excellence, market potential and adherence to robust governance frameworks, with the Department pledging to prioritize projects that address critical national challenges such as healthcare diagnostics, climate‑change modelling, cyber‑security resilience and the development of ethical AI standards, while also committing to a transparent allocation process that will be overseen by an independent advisory board comprising academics, industry leaders and representatives from consumer‑rights organisations, a structure intended to mitigate concerns about cronyism, ensure that public money is spent efficiently, and provide measurable outcomes that can be audited by the National Audit Office and reported to Parliament on an annual basis, thereby reinforcing the principle of public accountability that underpins democratic governance; nevertheless, observers have warned that the successful implementation of the fund will require not only clear criteria for project selection but also rigorous monitoring mechanisms to assess long‑term societal impacts, safeguard against the concentration of technological power in a handful of dominant players, and guarantee that the promised economic benefits translate into tangible job creation, regional development and the up‑skilling of the British workforce, all of which will be essential to justify the substantial taxpayer investment and to demonstrate that the Department’s leadership, including the minister who has publicly disavowed personal use of AI tools, is capable of steering a complex and rapidly evolving sector while upholding the highest standards of ethical stewardship and fiscal responsibility.

Published: April 18, 2026