Turing Institute launches new science and innovation programme

The UK’s national body for artificial intelligence (AI), the Alan Turing Institute, has launched a new science and innovation programme after a raft of resignations and a "significant organisational transformation".

The programme will primarily focus on defence, national security, health and environmental issues to make the UK more “secure, healthy and resilient

In a move to increase the charity’s focus on defence, the Institute is appointing former RAF Air Commodore Blythe Crawford. Crawford will lead a review into how the charity can support the UK Government’s AI ambitions in defence, national security and intelligence.  

“Digital, data and AI technologies have huge transformative potential and as the national institute our purpose is to ensure they are adopted in ways that change our country for the better; in the hands of our public servants and critical industries, shaping better decisions, boosting productivity and growing our economy,” said Professor Mark Girolami, chief scientist at the Institute. “Our programme of science and innovation is designed to play to the UK’s strengths, developing specialist capabilities that make our society more secure, healthy and resilient.”   

The new programme comes after a whistleblowing complaint was submitted to the Charity Commission, the regulator in England and Wales, in August. The complaint accused the Institute’s leadership of misusing public funds, creating a toxic working environment and failing to deliver on the charity’s mission.  

In the wake of the complaint, chief executive Jean Innes stepped down, saying that “now is the right time for new leadership”. In the months leading up to the complaint, two long-standing professors and the recently appointed chief technology officer left the charity. 

“The Turing has made major changes to transform into an institute that’s tightly focused on adding unique value for the UK, making a clear step up on our work in defence and national security and tackling pressing challenges in environment and health,” said Dr Doug Gurr, chair of the Institute. 

“I’m hugely excited to see what the Turing will achieve over the coming years, putting digital, data and AI science and technologies to work for the benefit of all UK citizens.” 

The Institute was founded in 2015 as the UK’s national centre for data science, with an additional focus on AI coming two years later. It receives public funding and was given a grant of £100m from the Conservative government in 2024 to focus on how data science and AI could be used to tackle some of the biggest issues facing society. 

In July, former Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle wrote to the Institute suggesting that the charity should overhaul its leadership team and shift its focus to boosting the UK’s AI defence capabilities. Kyle said future government funding of the Institute would depend on the "delivery of the vision" outlined in the letter.  

To reflect that vision and secure its funding future, the Institute has shifted its focus, cutting or completing 78 research projects to streamline its “strategic focus”. Current projects include a programme to develop digital twins of hearts for the NHS and a weather prediction system to increase the accuracy of weather forecasts.