‘Shut it down and start again’: staff disquiet as Alan Turing Institute faces identity crisis

Whistleblower warns UK’s top AI research body in danger of collapse due to threats over funding and new direction

When the UK government announced the creation of the Alan Turing Institute in 2014 it promised a “fitting memorial” to the renowned computer scientist and artificial intelligence pioneer.

More than a decade on, Britain’s leading AI institute is in turmoil as staff warn it may be in danger of collapse and ministers demand a shift in focus to defence and security work.