# New AI Taskforce names Patrick Vallance as chair > Source: > Published: 2026-07-31 01:01:00+00:00 ##### Former minister and adviser, who became a familiar figure to many during the pandemic, will have a key role in a new group created to drive public sector AI uptake Former innovation minister and government chief scientific adviser Lord Pattrick Vallance has been appointed as the chair of the PM’s new AI Taskforce. The taskforce will be based in the newly created Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet and will report to cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo and artificial intelligence minister Kanishka Narayan. As chair, Vallance *(pictured above)* will report directly to the prime minister, Andy Burnham. The Cabinet Office said the remit of the taskforce will be to “transform public services and unlock growth and prosperity across the country, learning lessons from models such as the Vaccines Taskforce which showed that an empowered unit, with clear accountability to the prime minister, can drive extraordinary outcomes and deliver real benefits for people across the country”. The group will also lead on enabling transformation and AI adoption across the public sector. As part of the machinery of government changes, responsibility for the AI Security Institute will move from the vanishing Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to the OPMC. Vallance, who last week left his prior DSIT-based role as minister for science, research and innovation, was previously government chief scientific adviser from 2018 to 2023 and spearheaded the Vaccines Taskforce in 2020. ### Related content [What GDS shares with its new department-mates](https://www.publictechnology.net/2026/07/27/government-and-politics/what-gds-shares-with-its-new-department-mates/)[DSIT data reveals government’s most-used services – and users’ most common problems](https://www.publictechnology.net/2026/07/16/society-and-welfare/dsit-data-reveals-governments-most-used-services-and-users-most-common-problems/)[Science and tech committee chair: ‘Scrapping DSIT risks overloading other departments’](https://www.publictechnology.net/2026/07/28/government-and-politics/science-and-tech-committee-chair-scrapping-dsit-risks-overloading-other-departments/) Burnham said: “AI is rapidly changing our world and we need to make sure it works for everyone. The opportunities are huge if we get it right and I want AI to power a new industrial revolution that drives good growth in every postcode. Lord Vallance is a true public servant with decades of experience, expertise and a track record of delivery. I’m delighted he’ll be chairing the AI Taskforce, putting AI at the centre of all our work to change people’s lives for the better.” Narayan said he will work with Vallance “with the urgency and importance of the Vaccines Taskforce applied to the central question of artificial intelligence”. Vallance said is he “delighted” to be appointed to the role. “This government is sending a signal that’s clearer than ever before about its commitment to realising the opportunities of AI and science and technology,” he added. “The potential to transform public services, drive growth and improve people’s lives is immense, and I intend to make sure we deliver on it.” Vallance has also been appointed as chair of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.