Jean Innes has announced she is stepping down as the head of the Alan Turing Institute as?it looks to complete a ¡°transformation programme¡± following government pressure.

Innes, who has held the?chief executive?role since 2023, made the announcement as the Turing looks to ¡°step up¡± its work in defence and national security.

The move marks a shift for the UK¡¯s national artificial intelligence institute, which has focused on AI in areas including environmental sustainability and health since it was established in 2015. The transformation project will also see it move away from numerous large research projects to instead focus on a smaller number?of initiatives.

Labour has explicitly linked research and development funding to its strategic priorities, and?defence research has been named a ¡°huge opportunity¡±?for research bodies to capitalise on as the government ramps up investment.

ÌÇÐÄVlog

But employees at the Turing alleged earlier this year that technology secretary Peter Kyle had threatened to withdraw its funding if it did not have a defence focus.

Its board has now launched a process to appoint a new?chief executive. Innes, who was previously non-executive director at Housemark, will remain in post until the institute¡¯s transformation programme concludes later this year.?

ÌÇÐÄVlog

She said it had been ¡°a great honour to lead¡± the UK¡¯s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, as well as implementing a new strategy and overseeing significant organisational transformation.?

¡°With that work concluding, and a new chapter starting for the institute, now is the right time for new leadership and I am excited about what it will achieve.¡±?

Turing chair Doug Gurr said: ¡°With ?100m of core funding allocated last year, a newly focused approach to science and innovation and the operational restructure due to complete this autumn, I and the board would like to thank Jean for her major contribution, ensuring the national institute¡¯s priorities are streamlined and focused on delivering real-world impact in priority areas for the UK.¡±

But its change in policy direction has prompted backlash and concern over the institute¡¯s future. Harin Sellahewa, professor of computing at the University of Buckingham, said: ¡°It is difficult to see [how] the Alan Turing Institute could make a lasting impact on the world¡¯s most pressing societal issues if it limits its core activities to defence and national security ¨C and some selected projects in environment and healthcare.¡±

ÌÇÐÄVlog

Sellahewa added that the shift could ¡°exclude many researchers and academics from contributing to the institute¡¯s work¡± and that this ¡°narrow focus¡± means ¡°the institute may no longer be seen as the national institute for AI and data science¡±.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com