# ARIA chair Matt Clifford to leave after taking Anthropic role

_Monday, September 7, 2026 at 7:56 PM EDT · Policy, AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![ARIA chair Matt Clifford to leave after taking Anthropic role — Primary](https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/09/ai-safety-summit-2023-bletchley-park-signage.jpg)

Matt Clifford said he will step down as chair of the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency after taking a role at Anthropic.

Clifford will remain until 6 November while a replacement is sought, according to the report. ARIA holds a commercial licence with Anthropic alongside other AI providers. The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade had reviewed the dual-role arrangement and agreed mitigations, including recusal from ARIA business where conflicts could arise.

A Commons committee is seeking details of the conflict assessments and safeguards.

## Sources

- [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/matt-clifford-quits-aria-chair-anthropic-conflict-of-interest)

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Retrieved: 2026-09-08T03:59:00.887Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)