{"id":76759,"date":"2025-08-18T06:17:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T06:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/76759\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T06:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T06:17:07","slug":"shut-it-down-and-start-again-staff-disquiet-as-alan-turing-institute-faces-identity-crisis-artificial-intelligence-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/76759\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Shut it down and start again\u2019: staff disquiet as Alan Turing Institute faces identity crisis | Artificial intelligence (AI)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the UK government announced the creation of the Alan Turing Institute<\/a> in 2014 it promised a \u201cfitting memorial\u201d to the renowned computer scientist and artificial intelligence pioneer.<\/p>\n

More than a decade on, Britain\u2019s leading AI institute is in turmoil as staff warn it may be in danger of collapse and ministers demand a shift in focus to defence and security work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATI brand is well recognised internationally,\u201d says Dame Wendy Hall, a professor of computer science at the University of Southampton and the co-chair of a 2017 government AI review. \u201cIf it ceases to be the national institute for AI and data science then we are at risk of weakening our international leadership in AI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turing\u2019s legacy, as the mathematical genius who helped crack the Enigma code, outlined key concepts of AI<\/a> and invented the eponymous test<\/a> to discern whether a computer can show human intelligence, has been rebuilt and burnished in recent years.<\/p>\n

In 2013 he received a posthumous royal pardon<\/a> 59 years after his death, having been convicted of gross indecency in 1952 after admitting a sexual relationship with a man. A year later he was immortalised in the Oscar-winning film The Imitation Game<\/a> and in 2021 he became the face of the \u00a350 note<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A cornerstone of that legacy is in trouble, however. This month a group of staff filed a whistleblower complaint with the Charity Commission<\/a>, which has a regulatory role over ATI because the nominally independent organisation is a registered charity \u2013 albeit largely funded by the UK government.<\/p>\n

The complaint raised eight points of concern including the possibility that \u00a3100m of government funding might be withdrawn, which \u201ccould lead to the Institute\u2019s collapse\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bank of England \u00a350 banknote celebrating Alan Turing.
Photograph: Bank Of England\/Reuters<\/p>\n

\u201cThese concerns are so significant that many staff now believe the institute\u2019s charitable status and public credibility are at risk,\u201d said the complaint, which also raised concerns about internal governance and culture as well as oversight of spending.<\/p>\n

It is the latest in a series of staff broadsides at management. In March last year more than 180 staff wrote a letter to leadership<\/a> expressing \u201cserious concerns\u201d about the organisation\u2019s approach to diversity after it appointed four men to senior roles. In December more than 90 staff warned in another letter<\/a> that ATI\u2019s credibility was in \u201cserious jeopardy\u201d amid a restructuring that was threatening jobs \u2013 and research projects.<\/p>\n

ATI has recently notified about 50 staff \u2013 or approximately 10% of its workforce \u2013 that they are at risk of redundancy and is shutting down projects related to online safety, tackling the housing crisis and reducing health inequality.<\/p>\n

This is part of an overhaul dubbed Turing 2.0 under which the institute will focus on three key areas: health, the environment, and defence and security.<\/p>\n

A recent letter from the UK technology secretary, Peter Kyle<\/a>, has made clear the overhaul does not go far enough. Writing to ATI\u2019s chair last month, Kyle demanded the institute switch its main focus to defence and security, adding that ATI\u2019s \u201clonger-term funding arrangement\u201d could be reviewed next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoving forward, defence and national security projects should form a core of ATI\u2019s activities, and relationships with the UK\u2019s security, defence, and intelligence communities should be strengthened accordingly,\u201d Kyle wrote.<\/p>\n

He also indicated that leadership changes might be needed.<\/p>\n

Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, has demanded the institute switch its main focus to defence and security. Photograph: Thomas Krych\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cTo realise this vision, it is imperative that the ATI\u2019s leadership reflects the institute\u2019s reformed focus,\u201d he wrote. \u201cCareful consideration should be given to the importance of an executive team who possesses a relevant background and sector knowledge to lead this transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is against this backdrop \u2013 long-running staff dissatisfaction with leadership, a strategic and financial overhaul, and then a bombshell from the government \u2013 that the whistleblower complaint was filed.<\/p>\n

ATI is led by chief executive Jean Innes, who has had senior roles in the civil service and tech sector, and is chaired by Doug Gurr, the former head of Amazon\u2019s UK operations and interim chair of the UK\u2019s competition watchdog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gurr responded to Kyle last month with a letter pledging to \u201cstep up\u201d on defence and national security as well as boosting the UK\u2019s self-sufficiency in AI \u2013 or \u201csovereign capabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will step up at a time of national need,\u201d Gurr wrote.<\/p>\n

However, Gurr added that ATI will \u201ccontinue to drive forward high-impact work in environment and healthcare\u201d where it fits with the \u201cgovernment\u2019s missions and the interests of our philanthropic and private funders\u201d.<\/p>\n

At a recent meeting between staff and ATI leadership, held remotely, Gurr faced pointed questions about the new direction raised by Kyle and the institute\u2019s restructuring. One attender said the atmosphere was difficult, describing the mood among the more than 100 employees during the meeting as \u201ccontemptuous throughout\u201d.<\/p>\n

In an internal note to staff this week, Innes and Gurr confirmed a new working group of government officials and ATI staff had met to discuss the new direction. It also confirmed people would be leaving through redundancies and non-renewal of contracts.<\/p>\n

ATI\u2019s goals include to \u201cadvance world-class research and apply it to national and global challenges\u201d, as well as driving an \u201cinformed public conversation\u201d on AI. Its five founding UK universities were Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, UCL and Warwick, with its research work including teaming up with the Met Office to improve weather forecasting<\/a>, creating cardiac \u201cdigital twins\u201d<\/a> to study heart disease and improving air traffic control<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Doug Gurr, chair of ATI, was said to have faced pointed questions about the institute\u2019s new direction from staff in a \u2018contemptuous\u2019 mood. Photograph: Alicia Canter\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

A source who worked in the previous Conservative government said Labour\u2019s concerns about the institute are \u201cfar from new\u201d and there had been disquiet in political circles about the institute\u2019s performance for some time, with multiple university stakeholders blurring its focus.<\/p>\n

In that context, the source said, it makes sense to double down on what the institute does well \u2013 defence and security \u2013 or \u201cjust shut it down and start again\u201d.<\/p>\n

Prof Jon Crowcroft, the Marconi professor of communication systems at the University of Cambridge\u2019s Computer Lab, and an adviser to Innes, says the institute\u2019s staff have become unsettled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the crisis in terms of people is real. A lot of people are still there because they believe it\u2019s a good, open institution doing valuable public work. But they\u2019re also wondering where their job is going to be,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cI have not seen a plan A for keeping all the staff happy, which would mean keeping some non-defence and security projects. The reason why staff have issued these letters is because they have not seen that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referring to ATI\u2019s base at the British Library in London, he says: \u201cNor have I seen a plan B for what happens if too many people leave, because so many projects have gone, which means the core funding is not viable and they cannot justify the size of the building they are in.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are \u201cmixed views\u201d on the looming shift to defence and security, according to a current staff member who says they have listened to a \u201cdiverse\u201d array of concerns among colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand the national importance issue. Very few of us are saying that work shouldn\u2019t happen. But we think a singular focus would be too narrow. Turing\u2019s strength comes from applying AI to a wide range of societal challenges, from health to the environment, with responsible innovation at the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British Library where ATI is based.
Photograph: SOPA Images\/LightRocket\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The staff member adds: \u201cThose areas are still important, and with the right leadership we could fulfil the vision and purpose that brought us here in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The staff member adds that Gurr\u2019s letter pledging to double down on defence and security, while still working on health and environment, leaves ATI in a \u201cprecarious standoff\u201d with government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leadership is hoping the government\u2019s attention, or its personnel, shifts,\u201d they said. Hall says the institute has no choice but to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly there is not much money around and the institute needs to do what the government asks. If it doesn\u2019t, then presumably the government will close it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cThe institute has ceased to be what it was initially set up to be, which was a national institute for data science and AI. The government has asked it to focus on defence and security. Whether the UK needs such an institute is for the government to decide. Personally I would like to see the justification.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crowcroft, who defends the quality of the institute\u2019s work, says the UK has always been strong in AI and is \u201cprobably now stronger still\u201d, pointing to multiple generations of AI expertise produced by universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College and Edinburgh as well as the success of London-based Google DeepMind and the establishment of UK-based AI units by leading US tech firms such as Microsoft and OpenAI.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for ATI said the institute was going through \u201csubstantial\u201d change to continue to deliver in its unique role as the UK\u2019s national institute for data science and AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we move forward, we\u2019re focused on delivering real-world impact across society\u2019s biggest challenges, including responding to the national need to double down on our work in defence, national security and sovereign capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

A government spokesperson said the technology secretary wants ATI to show value for money for taxpayer, which can be achieved by \u201cgiving the institute a key role in safeguarding our national security and positioning it where the British public expects it to be\u201d.<\/p>\n

Turing\u2019s legacy will live on. But in terms of the institute that bears his name, its longevity is in doubt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the UK government announced the creation of the Alan Turing Institute in 2014 it promised a \u201cfitting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-76759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}