Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft and Anthropic as senior adviser

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined software giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence (AI) research company Anthropic as a senior adviser, at a time when AI is beginning to reshape economies and societies worldwide.

Sunak, who continues to serve as a member of the British Parliament, is the son-in-law of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty.

What will Rishi Sunak's role be?

In these part-time roles, Sunak will work with the senior leadership of both companies and provide "high-level strategic perspectives" on macro-economic and geopolitical trends, and how they intersect with technology and society, according to letters published by ACOBA (Advisory Committee on Business Appointments), the government body responsible for providing advice on appointments for former ministers and senior civil servants.

"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," Sunak said in a post on LinkedIn.

He said that Microsoft has "driven productivity improvements for decades" while Anthropic is "one of the most exciting AI frontier labs"

Sunak added, "We stand on the edge of a technological revolution whose impacts will be as profound as those of the industrial revolution and felt more quickly. In my role as a senior adviser, I want to help these companies ensure that this shift delivers the improvements in all of our lives that it can."

Anthropic said in a statement that Sunak was “among the first global leaders to recognize AI’s transformative potential, establishing the world’s first AI Safety Institute and convening the inaugural AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park.”

“His experience will provide valuable strategic perspective as we work to ensure AI benefits humanity,” the company added. It said the internally-focused role fully complies with the conditions set by ACOBA.

What are some of the conditions?

As per the letters, Sunak will not advise on specific UK policy matters or have any contact with the UK government.

They added that Microsoft and Anthropic have pledged to limit his responsibilities to providing advice on strategy, macro-economic and geopolitical issues that do not conflict with his time as the prime minister. His role will be "appropriately ring-fenced" to focus on internal strategic advisory matters and will not involve any lobbying of the UK government.

The companies also said they have procedures in place to address any conflicts of interest.

Sunak will donate the payments from these appointments to The Richmond Project, a charity he founded earlier this year with his wife Akshata Murty to improve numeracy skills across all age groups.

The former UK prime minister will continue to serve as a senior adviser to Goldman Sachs, a role he took on in July 2025. It was his first major professional move since stepping down as Conservative Party leader following Labour’s landslide victory in the July 2024 general election.

What was Rishi Sunak’s approach to AI during his time as UK prime minister?

Rishi Sunak served as prime minister from October 2022 to July 2024. During his term, AI was a key priority, and he collaborated with both companies on the AI Safety Summit in November 2023. Microsoft announced a £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) investment for AI infrastructure and skills over three years during the summit.

Last month, Microsoft committed another £22 billion ($30 billion) to the UK for AI infrastructure and operations over four years, alongside additional investment from other tech companies such as Nvidia and Google.

Anthropic's global expansion

Anthropic, which counts Google and Amazon among its investors, is on a global expansion drive to meet growing demand for its Claude AI models outside the United States. The company plans to triple its international workforce and expand its applied AI team five fold this year.

As part of this push, Anthropic will hire more than 100 new positions across Dublin, London, and the research-focused Zurich office, with additional European offices to be unveiled in the coming months.

The firm has appointed former Google and Salesforce executive Chris Ciauri as Managing Director of International to spearhead its international expansion. This follows the hiring of Paul Smith as the company’s first Chief Commercial Officer in July this year. Liam Booth-Smith, Sunak’s former chief of staff, also joined Anthropic as external affairs chief in June.

Earlier this week, Anthropic announced plans to open its first India office in Bengaluru. Co-founder Dario Amodei is currently visiting India to meet public officials and enterprise partners, highlighting the firm’s commitment to developing responsible AI systems that promote social benefit and economic growth.

Last month, Anthropic raised $13 billion at a $183 billion post-money valuation, led by investment company Iconiq.