As an enthusiastic proponent of AI, one might expect the UK’s AI minister to be a keen user of ChatGPT or other popular AI chatbots in the course of his ministerial duties- perhaps to make his days more productive or to stay abreast of the latest technological advancements.
But Kanishka Narayan has not used ChatGPT, which has over 1bn active users, Claude, or any other popular AI chatbots for ministerial business since he became AI minister in September last year, according to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
The request also reveals that Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has not used ChatGPT or other AI chatbots for ministerial business since being appointed to the role in September 2025. The FoI was requested on April 23. Narayan, a former VC who has worked in Silicon Valley, however, does use ChatGPT for “core research” and background information for personal use, the Telegraph has previously reported.
Narayan has urged MPs to stop writing their parliamentary speeches with ChatGPT, following analysis showing that MPs were using the OpenAI-made chatbot to write speeches increasingly frequently. Like Narayan, Kendall also uses AI outside work.
“Well, I use AI personally rather than at work, I’ve got to be honest,” Kendall previously told the BBC. Peter Kyle, Kendall’s predecessor, used ChatGPT for policy advice and ask what podcasts he should appear on. While Narayan and Kendall might be shunning AI chatbots for ministerial business, government officials are expected to use AI.
The government is also deploying AI to modernise public services and increase civil service productivity. The government says its AI tool Consult, designed to speed up public consultation, has sped up analysis of over 50,000 responses to a government-commissioned review of the water sector.
A government spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State and AI minister do not personally use chatbots in the course of their ministerial business, but we are using a range of AI tools to support the work that they direct. AI has the potential to save time on routine tasks and cut through admin for civil servants. Ministers are focused on steering that work, and making the final decisions- as the public would expect."
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