The UK has named Jade Leung—former OpenAI governance lead and current CTO at the UK’s AI Security Institute—as AI adviser to UK prime minister Keir Starmer.

Leung will divide her time between her role at the AI Security Institute and advising both the prime minister and tech minister Peter Kyle.

The position had been vacant since Matt Clifford, founder of Entrepreneur First, announced in June 2025 that he would step back from the role.

Leung holds a doctorate in AI governance from the University of Oxford and previously spent nearly three years at OpenAI.

The UK government recently pledged £2 billion (US$2.7 billion) to support its AI strategy, including £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) to be spent on AI compute by 2030, and £750 million (US$1 billion) for a national supercomputer.

The AI adviser role is seen as influential, especially as the UK increases investment in artificial intelligence and infrastructure.

Earlier this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that the UK lacks its own AI infrastructure despite its large ecosystem.

🔗 Source: Sifted

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Global AI infrastructure arms race intensifies as nations compete for technological leadership

Leung’s appointment comes amid unprecedented global investment in AI infrastructure, with major economies making significant financial commitments to secure their positions.

The US recently launched a $500 billion “Stargate” AI infrastructure initiative focused on building large-scale data centers, while the EU announced its €200 billion “InvestAI” program emphasizing ethical AI development1.

The UK’s £2 billion pledge mentioned in the announcement represents a notable commitment, especially when viewed alongside the government’s broader £25 billion commitment to new data center projects and designation of data centers as Critical National Infrastructure2.

This investment pattern reflects how nations increasingly view AI infrastructure as critical to economic competitiveness and national security, similar to how countries historically competed in space or nuclear technology.

The urgency is evident in the UK’s creation of AI Growth Zones to streamline data center development, demonstrating how governments are removing regulatory barriers to accelerate infrastructure deployment2.

2️⃣ AI policy advisor roles emerge as critical bridge between technical innovation and governance