Kanishka Narayan, a Bihar-born British Member of Parliament, has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Minister, marking a significant milestone as the country strengthens its focus on emerging technologies.Kanishka Narayan has been appointed as Minister of State (Minister for Artificial Intelligence) jointly in the @cabinetofficeuk and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. He will attend Cabinet. pic.twitter.com/IWxGwmSt2E— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) July 20, 2026The 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.Narayan, who was born in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, moved to Cardiff, Wales, with his family at the age of 12. Speaking after taking charge, he revealed that his first phone call as AI Minister was to Hassabis to discuss how to turn Britain’s leadership in artificial intelligence into jobs and economic growth.From Bihar to Britain’s corridors of powerNarayan has often spoken about his family’s struggles after immigrating to the UK, where his parents worked minimum-wage and night-shift jobs to build a new life.A scholarship helped him move from a state-funded school in Cardiff to Eton College, one of Britain’s most prestigious schools. He later studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at the University of Oxford before earning an MBA from Stanford University in the United States.Political journeyInspired 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. This week, he was elevated to the newly created post of AI Minister, becoming the first person to hold the role.Hassabis welcomes appointmentNarayan’s appointment received an endorsement from Demis Hassabis, one of the world’s leading AI researchers and the head of Google DeepMind.The two are said to share similar backgrounds, having grown up in working-class immigrant families in the UK. Narayan has indicated that collaboration with industry leaders will be key to ensuring Britain’s AI leadership translates into economic opportunities and high-quality jobs.The creation of the AI Minister’s post reflects the UK government’s growing emphasis on artificial intelligence as a driver of innovation, productivity and long-term economic growth.