Matt Clifford, a technology investor who designed the UK government’s artificial intelligence strategy, has taken on a senior position at Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot, in a move that has prompted scrutiny from lawmakers.
Clifford served as AI opportunities adviser to Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his work on the government’s AI action plan but departed from that unpaid role after six months. He is now joining Anthropic as managing director for international affairs, where he will oversee the company’s relationships with governments outside the United States, including those in the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and India. Anthropic stated that Clifford would abstain from involvement in any decisions related to the company’s interests.
The appointment has drawn criticism particularly regarding Clifford’s continued position as chair of Aria, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, which distributes public funding for cutting-edge research and technology projects. Chi Onwurah, who leads the House of Commons committee on science, innovation and technology, characterized the dual roles as constituting a clear conflict of interest. She called for intervention from the government’s AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, to establish appropriate boundaries. Anthropic countered that its business dealings with Aria were managed through a separate division and that Clifford held no authority over procurement or spending decisions at the funding body.
The move reflects a broader pattern of prominent British political figures transitioning to positions with major technology companies. Recent examples include former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s role at Meta, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s advisory positions at Microsoft and Anthropic, and ex-Chancellor George Osborne’s appointment at OpenAI. According to observers, such transitions raise questions about the transfer of sensitive government knowledge to the private sector. Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy advocacy group noted that the arrangement potentially strengthens private companies’ negotiating positions with government entities.
Clifford emphasized that meaningful AI governance requires collaboration between corporations and governments, stating that nations globally seek influence over how the technology is developed and deployed. Anthropic is preparing for a potential public listing that could value the company at approximately $2 trillion.
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