In a post on LinkedIn, Clifford said that he would leave the role at the end of July after a year in post to spend more time with a sick family member, but would retain his position as chair of Entrepreneurs First and Advanced Research + Invention Agency (Aria).

Clifford added that the work on the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan would continue, with £2bn having been set aside for AI in the recent spending review.

Clifford authored the government’s AI Action Plan, which was released at the beginning of this year. A government spokesperson thanked Clifford for his work in the role.

Before taking up his role with government, Clifford was co-founder and chief executive, and then later chair, at Entrepreneurs First, where he has spent almost 14 years.

Clifford has also chaired Aria since 2022 and co-founded Code First: Girls to help improve computer coding skills among young girls.

In 2023, Clifford was the prime minister’s representative for the AI Safety Summit.

Commenting on LinkedIn, Clifford said: “My sense of mission on AI is stronger than ever. I intend to dedicate my career to making AI go well for the UK and the world. I feel I’ve played a small role in that so far, but there is so much more to do… Stay tuned.

“Finally, I’m not leaving yet – I have five weeks left and am extremely ambitious about what we can get done in that time. I’m hugely grateful to my teams in government, EF and ARIA for their support, camaraderie and kindness throughout.”