Key facts
- The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is being abolished.
- AI, digital, and science responsibilities will be split across three government departments.
- Former permanent secretary Sarah Munby stated the integration of these functions was DSIT's biggest strength.
- The Government Digital Service will move to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
- The AI Security Institute will transfer to the Cabinet Office.
- Science policy and AI adoption teams will move to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST).
The UK government is dismantling the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), less than three years after its creation, a move that has drawn criticism from its former top civil servant. Sarah Munby, who helped establish DSIT, stated that its greatest strength was integrating data, digital capabilities, and AI, and that splitting these functions across departments would be detrimental.
A leaked internal document outlines a plan to divide responsibilities among three departments. The Government Digital Service (GDS), GOV.UK, digital identity, cyber policy, and chief technology and data officers will move to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under Lisa Nandy. The AI Security Institute is slated to transfer to the Cabinet Office, while UK Research and Innovation, the Sovereign AI Fund, science policy, AI adoption, and advanced technology teams will be integrated into a new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST).
Concerns have been raised about the potential for confusion and uncertainty regarding AI policy leadership and implementation. Raoul Ruparel, director of the BCG Centre for Growth, described the decision to move the Government Digital Service away from AI adoption work as 'strange,' given the increasing role of AI in government functions. In the House of Lords, peers pressed ministers for clarity on AI policy responsibility following the reorganisation. Lord Tarassenko warned that the transition could take approximately a year, which he deemed 'an eternity in AI,' and questioned the continuity of flagship AI programs. Baroness Anderson, a Cabinet Office minister, responded by asserting that the changes would position science and AI 'at the heart of government.'