Kanishka Narayan: UK must not leave AI to 'tech bros and oligarchs'
By Anika SharmaAI & Innovations Editor, Peepals Tech
File photo: Bea Phi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
UK AI minister Kanishka Narayan said on October 23, 2026, the state must build its own AI capability, citing a £13,000 AI check that found 500 flaws in government systems.
What Happened
Britain's minister for artificial intelligence, Kanishka Narayan, has said the British public and democracy must "assert power" over AI rather than leave it to "tech bros and oligarchs", in remarks reported on October 23, 2026. Speaking in an interview on the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Narayan argued that regulation alone is not enough and that the state needs its own capability to understand and use AI. As an example, he said the government spent £13,000 testing its systems with frontier AI models and found 500 previously unknown security weaknesses. He also hinted at an AI-related announcement in the UK Budget due on Wednesday, October 28, without giving details.
Key Facts
- Who: Kanishka Narayan, the UK government minister responsible for AI.
- Where: an interview on the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, reported on October 23, 2026.
- Main message: the public and democratic institutions, not only technology companies, should shape how AI develops.
- Test cited: a check of government systems using frontier AI models cost £13,000 and found 500 new vulnerabilities in important areas of the public sector, he said; he did not say what they were.
- AI Security Institute: Narayan said every US AI lab is coming to the UK's AI Security Institute asking it to test models before release.
- Comparison: he likened AI's disruption to the Industrial Revolution and said the UK must manage this transition better.
- Budget: he hinted at AI measures in the Budget due on October 28, without details.
Why It Matters
Many of the most powerful AI systems are built by a small number of large private companies. Governments have mostly responded with rules: what AI may and may not do, and who is responsible when it goes wrong. Narayan's argument is that rules are not enough. A state that does not understand the technology itself cannot write good rules, test what companies claim, or use AI to improve its own services.
His example shows what he means. Frontier models, the most advanced AI systems, can now scan computer code and systems for security weaknesses quickly and cheaply. If a £13,000 exercise can surface 500 weaknesses in government systems, the same tools in the wrong hands could be used to find and attack them. Governments that build this capability themselves can fix problems before criminals find them.
The comments also speak to a wider debate about who holds power in the AI age. "Tech bros and oligarchs" is a pointed phrase from a sitting minister, and it reflects growing political unease in many countries about a few wealthy individuals and companies controlling technology that will shape jobs, information and security.
For India, which is also working to build its own AI capacity, the UK debate is relevant. The same questions apply: how much a state should build itself, how it tests models made by foreign companies, and how it uses AI to secure its own systems.
Impact
Short-term: Attention will turn to the October 28 Budget for any AI announcement, such as funding for public-sector AI capability or security testing.
Long-term: If the UK invests more in state AI capability, it could become a model for other countries that cannot match the spending of the biggest AI companies but want independent expertise to test and use AI.
Who is affected: Government departments and their IT systems; AI companies that submit models for testing; British workers facing AI-driven change; and other countries watching how democracies manage powerful private AI firms.
Key Takeaway
UK AI minister Kanishka Narayan says the state must build its own AI capability rather than rely on regulation or leave the field to big tech, pointing to a £13,000 AI test that found 500 weaknesses in government systems.
Questions and Answers
What did Kanishka Narayan say about AI?
In a BBC podcast interview reported on October 23, 2026, the UK's AI minister said the British public and democracy must assert power over AI rather than leave it to "tech bros and oligarchs", and that the state needs its own AI capability, not just regulation.
What did the UK government's AI security test find?
Narayan said a test of government systems using frontier AI models cost £13,000 and found 500 previously unknown vulnerabilities in significant areas of the public sector. He did not say what they were.
Will the UK Budget include AI measures?
Narayan hinted at AI-related measures in the Budget due on October 28, 2026, but gave no details.
What is the UK's AI Security Institute?
It is a UK government body that tests advanced AI models for risks. Narayan said every major US AI lab now asks it to test models before they are released.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Anika Sharma, AI & Innovations EditorCovers AI & Innovation and more for Peepals Tech. All stories by Anika Sharma
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Anika Sharma is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
