Government AI Strategy and Restructuring

The UK government has centralised AI strategy under PM Burnham, scrapping DSIT, creating a new AI Taskforce chaired by Lord Vallance, and rewriting strategy around sovereignty. This reorganisation could affect university AI funding, procurement, and regulation. The OfS granted degree-awarding powers to LSI, the first AI-native university, and faces calls for regulatory overhaul. The ICO's draft strategy for 2026-2028 names EdTech and AI governance as priorities, with a consultation window open for universities. A new study from Manchester and Edinburgh warns that the AI revolution may deepen UK inequalities, critiquing infrastructure gaps and skills shortages.