The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s flagship centre for artificial intelligence research, must undertake a substantial transformation after a major review by its primary funder concluded it was underperforming and failing to deliver sufficient value for money.
A Damning Review and a Call for Change
The independent midterm review was conducted by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which awarded the institute a five-year, £100 million taxpayer-funded grant in 2024. While acknowledging the ATI’s “strong foundations and clear evidence of scientific excellence,” UKRI found that “overall strategic alignment and value for money are not yet satisfactory.” The review stated the institute needed to articulate a clear strategic purpose, strengthen delivery, and bring its work to bear more effectively in the national interest.
Professor Charlotte Deane, who oversees UKRI’s AI programme, announced the findings, saying, “This review recognises the value and potential of the Alan Turing Institute, but also makes clear that significant change is needed in some areas.” She added that achieving the UK’s AI ambitions required institutions “that are focused, effective and aligned to national need.”
Leadership Overhaul and Governance Scrutiny
The pressure for change has already precipitated a complete turnover at the top of the nominally independent organisation. Last summer, the government made clear it expected a strategic overhaul and indicated the need for management changes.
This warning was followed by the departure of chief executive Jean Innes in September 2025, after a staff revolt added to the pressure. Innes had led a transformation programme that involved slimming down research projects. Then, this week, the institute’s chair, Doug Gurr, resigned after being appointed permanent chair of the Competition and Markets Authority. Former co-deputy chair Vanessa Lawrence has stepped in as interim chair.
These changes occurred against a backdrop of serious internal concerns. A whistleblower complaint from a group of ATI staff about governance, culture, and financial oversight prompted the Charity Commission to issue formal regulatory advice to the institute’s trustees, reminding them of their legal duties. The Commission closed its compliance case but stated it could resume contact if its advice was ignored. The complaint alleged a letter of no confidence delivered in 2024 was not acted upon.
UKRI’s review explicitly recommended strengthening and making governance more transparent, reinstating external scientific advice, and improving stakeholder engagement.
A Strategic Pivot to Defence and National Security
The most significant shift demanded of the institute is a fundamental reorientation of its research mission towards defence and national security. The government, through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), has been actively pushing this change.
In a letter to the ATI’s chair in July 2025, then-technology secretary Peter Kyle called for a significant shift towards defence and national security, explicitly downgrading work on health and the environment—two of the three core subjects in the institute’s “Turing 2.0” strategy announced just months earlier in March 2023.
This directive is now at the heart of the required reforms. UKRI’s key recommendation is for the ATI to adopt a “clear, single-purpose mission with national resilience, security and defence at its core.” The institute is now embarking on a new programme aimed at building sovereign capability for national resilience in domains such as defence, security, and critical infrastructure.
This pivot aligns with the UK’s broader defence strategy, which includes a published Defence Industrial Strategy and significant public investment in the “DefTech” sector, including a £330 million strategic investment fund for national security and defence.
The strategic shift is cemented by the appointment of a new chief executive, George Williamson, who is due to take up the post in May 2026. Williamson comes directly from a national security background, having served as CEO of His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC). He will take over from acting CEO and chief scientist, Professor Mark Girolami.
Prof Deane confirmed UKRI would work with the institute and its new leadership to implement the review’s recommendations, which also include agreeing a value for money framework with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The ATI is expected to develop a plan with critical success factors by September 2026 for independent assessment.
The Institute’s Response and Future Path
In response to the review, a spokesperson for the Alan Turing Institute acknowledged the need to move “faster and further.” The spokesperson said the institute had already tightened its focus and strengthened governance, and welcomed “the confirmation of our clear, single-purpose mission with national resilience, security and defence at its core.”
The spokesperson added: “Working with funders and partners, we will be even more ambitious about the role we can play for the UK.” The changes come as the UK government, via UKRI, has committed £1.6 billion to AI research and innovation between 2026 and 2030, aiming to keep the country at the forefront of the technology’s development.
