Meet Kanishka Narayan, Bihar-born who became UK’s first AI minister

24 Jul 2026, 08:06 by Abhilasha · KalingaTV

London: Bihar-born Kanishka Narayan, a British Member of Parliament, has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Minister.

The appointment has drawn praise from leading figures in the AI industry, including Nobel laureate and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who described it as “great news” for the UK’s AI ecosystem.

“Congratulations @KanishkaNarayan on your new role as UK’s AI Minister in the Cabinet, great news for the UK AI ecosystem!,” Hassabis wrote on X. Hassabis, a UK citizen, is the son of immigrant parents himself.

His promotion comes after newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham carried out a major Cabinet reshuffle.

Who is Kanishka Narayan?

Kanishka Narayan was born in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, in November 1989. His family later moved to Delhi before relocating to Cardiff in Wales when he was 12 years old.

Narayan was always bright, having secured a transfer to one of Britain’s most prestigious schools, Eton College, from a state-funded Cardiff school, on a scholarship. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree from the hallowed Oxford University, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics, before getting an MBA from the prestigious Stanford University in the US.

Before joining politics, Narayan built a career in finance, venture capital and public policy. He worked at investment bank Lazard, advising company boards, government finance ministries and technology entrepreneurs across Europe and the US, with a focus on AI, fintech and climate initiatives.

He later joined venture capital firms Atomico and Clocktower Ventures, where he worked with technology startups and investment teams across Europe.

Narayan also served as an economist and senior adviser in the UK government, working with Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister’s office. During this period, he also helped draft the UK’s 25-year environment plan.

Inspired by his family’s experience and a desire to improve public services, Narayan joined the Labour Party.

His parliamentary journey began in 2022 when he was selected as Labour’s candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan constituency in Wales. Although he narrowly lost that election, he remained active in the party.

After Labour returned to power under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Narayan was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Meet Kanishka Narayan, Bihar-born who became UK’s first AI minister

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