Feryal Clark named minister for AI and digital government – PublicTechnology

Once government’s core digital units complete their move from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, their ministerial leader will be Labour’s MP for Enfield North

The government has announced Feryal Clark as the UK’s new minister for AI and digital government – a role in which she will take on oversight of Whitehall’s core technology units.

Her position is that of a parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Following a shake-up announced shortly after the election, the department is soon to become home to the Government Digital Service, Central Digital and Data Office, and Incubator for Artificial Intelligence, all of which previously sat within the Cabinet Office.

According to her GOV.UK biography, Clark’s duties will include overseeing the work of the “Digital Centre of Government” – an apparent reference to GDS and CDDO, which will give DSIT about 1,000 extra employees and a range of new responsibilities in overseeing digital and data across government.

The MP for Enfield North (pictured above) will also take the ministerial reins on matters of “cybersecurity, digital public services [and] digital identity policy”, as well as an array of AI-related duties, covering transparency, ethics, regulations, and opportunities.

Clark’s brief also covers the  Copyright Tribunal, Intellectual Property Office, the nascent AI Safety Institute, and government’s ongoing review into large-scale compute services.

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In a post on X, the new minister said: “It’s a huge privilege to have been asked to serve as parliamentary under-secretary of state in [DSIT]. Super excited to be joining DSIT,  the digital  centre of government, delivering better services and using science and innovation to power growth.”

Born in Türkiye, the 45-year-old grew up in Hackney – a borough which she later served as a local councillor, according to her website. Clark studied for a degree in Biomedical Science followed by a Masters in Bioinformatics and spent six years working in NHS pathology services.

Responsibilities for other junior ministers in DSIT have also been confirmed, with Rhondda and Ogmore MP Chris Bryant appointed as minister of state for data protection and telecoms. In this post, he will oversee the work of the Information Commissioner’s Office, as well as taking the ministerial lead on digital and telecommunications infrastructure, and issues of digital inclusion. Bryant’s remit also includes Building Digital UK and the UK Space Agency and wider space sector.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, meanwhile, is to serve as parliamentary under secretary of state for the future digital economy and online safety – a role in which her time will be split between DSIT and the Department for Business and Trade. This brief includes disinformation and other online harms, as well as Labour’s planned National Data Library, and issues of national technical security and resilience.