Staff members at the UK’s national institute for artificial intelligence (AI) have issued warnings that the charity faces potential collapse, following threats from Technology Secretary Peter Kyle to withdraw its funding.
Employees at the Alan Turing Institute have reportedly raised “serious and escalating concerns” in a formal whistleblowing complaint submitted to the Charity Commission.
The complaint, reviewed by the BBC, alleges misuse of public funds by the institute’s leadership, the existence of a “toxic internal culture,” and a failure to effectively deliver on the charity’s core mission.
A government spokesperson stated that Mr. Kyle “has been clear he wants [the Turing Institute] to deliver real value for money for taxpayers”.
The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) spokesperson added that the institute “is an independent organisation and has been consulting on changes to refocus its work under its Turing 2.0 strategy”.
“The changes set out in his letter would do exactly that, giving the Institute a key role in safeguarding our national security and positioning it where the British public expects it to be,” they stated.
This development follows Mr. Kyle’s urging of the Turing Institute to prioritize defence research, with suggestions that funding would be revoked if changes were not implemented.
Mr. Kyle is also reportedly advocating for an overhaul of the institute’s leadership. A strategic shift toward defence would represent a significant pivot for the publicly funded organization, which received a £100 million grant from the previous Conservative government last year.
Established in 2015 as the UK’s premier center for AI research, the Turing Institute has faced internal discord and criticism regarding its research activities.
In the complaint, staff members assert that Mr. Kyle’s letter has precipitated “a crisis in governance”.
The government’s £100 million grant is “now at risk of being withdrawn, a move that could lead to the institute’s collapse,” the complaint states.
The Turing Institute, in a statement to the BBC, affirmed its commitment to “substantial organisational change to ensure we deliver on the promise and unique role of the UK’s national institute for data science and AI”.
“As we move forward, we’re focused on delivering real world impact across society’s biggest challenges, including responding to the national need to double down on our work in defence, national security and sovereign capabilities,” a spokesperson said.
According to the BBC, the Turing Institute, headquartered at the British Library in London, has not been formally notified of the complaint and has not been given access to the staff letter.
A Charity Commission spokesperson confirmed: “We are currently assessing concerns raised about the Alan Turing Institute to determine any regulatory role for us.”
The spokesperson clarified that the assessment is in its preliminary stages and that no decision has been made regarding the launch of a formal legal investigation.
The staff indicated that the complaint was submitted anonymously “due to a well-founded fear of retaliation”.
The BBC received a copy of the complaint via email, signed by “concerned staff members at The Alan Turing Institute”.
The complaint outlines eight key issues.
Highlighting potential funding risks, the complaint asserts that the Turing Institute’s “ongoing delivery failures, governance instability and lack of transparency have triggered serious concerns among its public and private funders”.
The complaint further accuses the charity of making “a series of spending decisions that lack transparency, measurable outcomes, and evidence of trustee oversight”.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that the board has presided over “an internal culture that has become defined by fear and defensiveness”.
The complaint notes that these concerns have been previously raised with the Turing Institute’s leadership team, including chairman Doug Gurr, but claims that “no meaningful action has been taken”.
The Alan Turing Institute describes itself as the UK’s national body for data science and AI, having been established by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015.
The institute has been experiencing internal upheaval in recent months due to proposed job cuts and the termination of research projects.
In late 2024, 93 staff members signed a letter expressing their lack of confidence in the leadership team.
In March, Jean Innes, who assumed the role of chief executive in July 2023, told the Financial Times that the Turing Institute needed to modernize and concentrate on AI projects.
Until recently, its work has centered on AI and data science research in three primary areas: environmental sustainability, health, and national security.
Recent research projects listed on its website include the application of artificial intelligence technology in weather prediction and a study indicating that one in four children now utilize the technology for learning and entertainment.
Other individuals who have collaborated with the Turing Institute have expressed concerns to the BBC regarding its current trajectory within the broader research community.
In July, professors Helen Margetts and Cosmina Dorobantu, long-standing co-directors of a prominent program that facilitated the public sector’s use of AI, resigned from their positions at the charity.
Former chief technology officer Jonathan Starck departed from the organization in May after serving for eight months.
Some remaining staff members have characterized the internal environment as toxic.
The AI sector is a critical component of the government’s strategy to stimulate the UK economy, involving investments in data center and supercomputer development and incentivizing investments from major technology firms.
Research and development pertaining to this rapidly evolving technology are also of paramount importance.
In his letter to the Turing Institute last month, Mr. Kyle emphasized that bolstering the UK’s AI capabilities is “critical” to national security and should be central to the institute’s core activities.
The Secretary of State for Science and Technology indicated that a review of the ATI’s “longer-term funding arrangement” could be conducted next year.
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