Turing Institute Chief Scientist takes acting CEO role amid defense-focused transformation

The Alan Turing Institute, the United Kingdom's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, has appointed its Chief Scientist, Professor Mark Girolami, as acting CEO. This temporary leadership change follows the departure of Dr. Jean Innes, who stepped down after the UK government demanded a strategic pivot toward defense and national security applications.

The transition comes after significant political pressure from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. In 2025, then-Secretary of State Peter Kyle intervened directly in the Institute's strategic direction, demanding a focus on defense, national security, and sovereign capabilities. This represented a substantial narrowing of the Institute's previously established three-way focus on health, environment, and security—a framework that had only been formalized a year earlier.

Kyle's intervention carried explicit financial consequences. He warned that while the government would guarantee overall funding for the following year, national security and defense-specific funding would only be secured for the subsequent three years. This created a clear incentive for the Institute's leadership to align with the government's priorities.

Innes announced her resignation in September 2025, stating she would step down "as the Institute completes the current transformation programme." This programme was scheduled to conclude at the end of 2025. Simultaneously, the Institute's board initiated a search for a new CEO who would "oversee the next phase of the Institute that will see it step up its work on defence, national security and sovereign capabilities."

The transformation has already begun to take shape. In October 2025, the Institute announced a "new science and innovation programme" with heavy emphasis on defense, national security, and resilience. The organization also appointed former RAF Air Commodore Blythe Crawford to advise the board, signaling a clear shift in its strategic orientation.

Professor Girolami's appointment as acting CEO is temporary by design. According to the Institute's statement, he will serve in this capacity "before handing over to a new CEO and resuming full duties as Chief Scientist." The Institute's spokesperson confirmed that the CEO search timeline remains on track, noting, "It has always been the plan to appoint an acting CEO. We'll provide a further update soon."

This leadership change occurs against a backdrop of broader UK government interest in AI applications for national security. Peter Kyle, who initiated the strategic shift at the Turing Institute, has since moved to a new role as Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade, having left the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in September 2025.

The Strategic Pivot: From Multi-Disciplinary Research to Defense Focus

The Alan Turing Institute was established in 2015 as the UK's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. For years, it maintained a broad research agenda spanning multiple domains. In 2024, it formalized a three-way focus on health, environment, and security—a framework designed to address some of society's most pressing challenges through data science and AI.

The government's intervention in 2025 fundamentally altered this approach. The demand for a defense and national security focus represents a significant narrowing of the Institute's mission, prioritizing sovereign capabilities and security applications over the previously balanced approach.

This shift raises important questions about the independence of academic research institutions and their relationship with government funding priorities. While national security applications of AI are undoubtedly important, the transition from a broad research agenda to a more narrowly focused one may have implications for the diversity of research conducted at the Institute and its ability to address other critical societal challenges.

The New Science and Innovation Programme

In October 2025, the Turing Institute announced its new program, which explicitly prioritizes defense, national security, and resilience. The appointment of former RAF Air Commodore Blythe Crawford as an advisor to the board further underscores this strategic direction. Crawford's military background suggests the Institute will increasingly focus on applications relevant to defense and security contexts.

The program marks what the Institute describes as the "conclusion of an internal transformation process." This process, driven by government pressure, has reoriented the organization's research priorities and strategic objectives. The incoming CEO—once appointed—will be tasked with implementing this new direction.

Regulatory Framework Development

Despite the leadership transition and strategic pivot, the Turing Institute continues its work on AI governance and regulation. The organization recently released a new framework and self-assessment tool designed to help organizations "understand, evaluate, and improve their current regulation processes."

This framework establishes benchmarks that enable regulators to assess their own AI regulation capabilities. It also facilitates "constructive and precise conversations about potential gaps or areas for improvement." This work represents an important contribution to the broader field of AI governance, even as the Institute itself undergoes significant organizational changes.

The regulatory framework development occurs alongside the Institute's defense-focused research program, suggesting a dual approach where the organization contributes to both AI application development (particularly in security contexts) and the governance frameworks needed to regulate these technologies.

Implications for UK AI Research

The Turing Institute's transformation reflects broader tensions in UK AI policy. The government has identified AI as a critical technology for economic growth and national security, leading to increased investment in AI research and development. However, this investment often comes with expectations about strategic alignment and application focus.

The Institute's experience highlights the challenges facing research organizations that rely on government funding while maintaining academic independence. The explicit linkage between funding and strategic direction—where defense and security applications were prioritized over other domains—demonstrates how funding mechanisms can shape research agendas.

For researchers at the Turing Institute and other UK AI research institutions, this shift may influence which projects receive support and which areas of inquiry are prioritized. While defense and national security applications of AI are legitimate and important areas of research, the narrowing of focus may reduce attention to other critical applications in health, environment, and other domains.

Looking Ahead

The appointment of Professor Girolami as acting CEO provides temporary stability during the leadership transition. His background as Chief Scientist suggests he understands both the technical aspects of the Institute's work and the strategic challenges it faces. However, his role is explicitly temporary, and the organization continues its search for a permanent CEO.

The new CEO will inherit an organization in the midst of significant transformation. They will need to balance the government's strategic priorities with the Institute's academic mission, manage relationships with multiple government departments, and oversee research programs that span both defense applications and broader AI governance work.

The Institute's regulatory framework development work may provide a bridge between its defense-focused research and its broader academic mission. By contributing to AI governance, the Turing Institute can maintain engagement with the ethical and regulatory dimensions of AI development, even as its application research becomes more narrowly focused.

Conclusion

The Alan Turing Institute's leadership transition and strategic pivot reflect the complex relationship between academic AI research and government priorities in the UK. Professor Mark Girolami's temporary appointment as acting CEO provides continuity during a period of significant change, but the organization's long-term direction will depend on the permanent CEO appointment and the implementation of its new defense-focused research program.

The Institute's experience offers a case study in how government funding and strategic priorities can shape research institutions. While the organization continues its important work on AI governance and regulation, its research agenda has been substantially redirected toward defense and national security applications—a shift that will likely influence the UK's AI research landscape for years to come.

The tension between academic independence and strategic alignment will continue to be a defining challenge for the Turing Institute and similar research organizations. As AI technologies become increasingly central to national security and economic competitiveness, the relationship between research institutions and government funders will require careful navigation to ensure both strategic relevance and academic excellence.

For the Turing Institute specifically, the coming months will be critical in determining how successfully it can implement its new strategic direction while maintaining the research quality and innovation that have characterized its work since its establishment. The acting CEO period provides an opportunity for continuity, but the permanent leadership appointment will set the tone for the Institute's next phase of development.