Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ‘Advise’ Microsoft and Anthropic

Sunak, who remains a Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton in Northeast England, will provide “high-level strategic perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends and how they intersect with technology,” according to an advice letter released Thursday by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), an independent watchdog that oversees the activities of former government officials.

The letter said he “should not become personally involved” in lobbying the government or members of Parliament on behalf of the two companies for a period of two years.

Microsoft has significant business interests in the U.K. while Anthropic “has a significant interest in U.K. government policy” ACOBA noted, meaning Sunak’s appointment could potentially be seen to offer “unfair access and influence” within government.

In a statement on LinkedIn, Sunak said, “Microsoft has driven productivity improvements for decades and Anthropic is one of the most exciting AI frontier labs.

“I have long believed that technology will transform our world and play a key part in determining our future. I am excited to help these two companies, as they address the big strategic questions about how to make tech work for our economies, our security and our society.”

Related: Microsoft Teams Up With Anthropic in New AI Deal

Sunak served as Prime Minister from fall 2022 until his Conservative Party lost a general election last year. During his time at No. 10 he convened an AI safety summit and launched the U.K.’s AI Safety Institute.

According to the ACOBA letter, the main risk posed by his new appointments “stems from your former role as Prime Minister, when you had overall responsibility for the UK government, and your privileged position granted you power to influence decisions and unique access to high-level information and contacts.”

It added, however, that the 14 months since he left No. 10 would have “reduce[d] the likely value” of any information he may still possess.

The appointments also come as current Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer is seeking to implement an Action Plan for AI released by his government in January that included 50 recommendations. Some of those recommendations have attracted controversy, such as a proposal to amend U.K. copyright law to allow the use of copyrighted works without permission to train AI models.

The former PM said he would donate 100% of his fees from Microsoft and Anthropic to the Richmond Project, a charity founded by Sunak and his wife to promote numeracy in the U.K.