Rishi Sunak appointed as Senior Adviser to Microsoft, Anthropic
Rishi Sunak remains a Member of Parliament.
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Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been appointed as a senior adviser to Microsoft and artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, marking his return to the technology sector at a time when AI is rapidly transforming global economies.
Rishi Sunak remains a Member of Parliament and is the son-in-law of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murty, will take on the roles in a part-time capacity. According to letters published by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), he will provide “high-level strategic perspectives” on global economic and geopolitical trends, and how these intersect with technological innovation and society.
“I have long believed that technology will transform our world and play a key part in determining our future,” Sunak said in a LinkedIn post announcing his appointments. “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.”
He praised Microsoft for its decades-long role in driving productivity and described Anthropic as “one of the most exciting AI frontier labs.”
“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,” Sunak added. “In my role as a senior adviser, I want to help ensure this shift delivers improvements in all of our lives.”
Anthropic, in a statement, said Sunak was “among the first global leaders to recognise AI’s transformative potential,” citing his creation of the world’s first AI Safety Institute and the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in 2023. The company added that Sunak’s advisory role “fully complies with ACOBA conditions” and will focus on providing internal strategic insights.
Under the ACOBA-approved terms, Sunak will not advise on UK government policy or lobby ministers. Both companies have committed to keeping his work “appropriately ring-fenced” to strategy, macroeconomic and geopolitical matters unrelated to his time as prime minister, and have established safeguards to avoid conflicts of interest.
Sunak has pledged to donate all earnings from his roles at Microsoft and Anthropic to The Richmond Project, a charity he co-founded with his wife Akshata Murty to improve numeracy skills across age groups.
The former prime minister also serves as a senior adviser to Goldman Sachs, a position he assumed in July 2025—his first major professional appointment following his resignation as Conservative Party leader after Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election.
During his tenure as prime minister (October 2022–July 2024), AI was a central policy focus. His government partnered with Microsoft and Anthropic to host the AI Safety Summit, during which Microsoft pledged £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) to expand AI infrastructure and skills training in the UK.
