Architect of UK’s AI strategy joins Anthropic amid conflict of interest warning

Matt Clifford, who shaped the UK government's AI strategy, has joined Anthropic (a US company behind the Claude chatbot) as managing director for international affairs while remaining chair of Aria (a government-backed funding body for advanced research). Critics argue this creates a conflict of interest because Aria funds AI-related research and Clifford now works for a major AI company, though Anthropic says Clifford will recuse himself from decisions involving the company and that commercial dealings are handled separately.