The AI Revolving Door: Rishi Sunak and George Osborne Join Big Tech
Former UK leaders are moving from government to Microsoft and OpenAI, using international summits to push surveillance-ready tech into emerging markets.
The Delhi AI summit is less of a conference and more of a strategic merger between Silicon Valley money, India’s digital exports, and former Western leaders turned tech lobbyists.
The AI summit just moved from the quiet, secure halls of Bletchley Park to New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam, and the vibe has shifted. It’s no longer about theoretical safety—it’s about an aggressive push for market control. Look at the guest list. Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Chancellor George Osborne aren't here to represent the British public; they’re here as hired guns for Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI. It’s a classic revolving door. The same people who once wrote the regulatory rules are now the ones helping tech giants dodge them.
India is pitching its 'India Stack'—that massive digital backbone of Aadhaar biometric IDs and UPI payments—as the new blueprint for the Global South. By bringing in leaders from across Africa and Southeast Asia, Modi is framing Indian tech as a 'neutral' alternative to Silicon Valley. But here’s the kicker: he’s still making plenty of room at the table for US CEOs. This 'techno-GandhismLoaded Language' isn't about ditching Western cash; it's about setting the price for entry. With software services already making up about 7.5% of India’s GDP, the stakes couldn't be higher.
“AI diplomacy is now being led by the same individuals who previously designed the regulatory frameworks these companies must navigate.”
There’s a darker sideLoaded Language to this technological push that often gets ignored: the expansion of state surveillance under the guise of public welfare. India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), passed back in 2023, gives government agencies a massive free pass. This allows for AI-driven facial recognition and predictive policing without the kind of guardrails you'd see in the EU. For companies like Google and OpenAI, India isn't just a market. It's a giant, unregulated data sandbox used to train the next generation of LLMs.
The massive wealth gap—where trillion-dollar tech firms meet nations where wages sit under $1,000—isn't a bug in the system. It’s the business model. US companies are touting 'agentic systems' designed to automate the very service-sector jobs that India and other developing nations rely on for growth. We hear a lot of talk about 'human-centric progress,' but don't expect any real protections for the millions of 'ghost workers' doing the manual data labeling that makes US-built AI possible in the first place.
The real deals are happening behind closed doors. We still don't know the specific terms of the MOUs being signed between the Indian government and OpenAI. While the UN calls for AI to be more than just a 'privilege' for the rich, Delhi shows us the reality: a three-way negotiation between states, tech giants, and their high-priced lobbyists. For the average citizen, the outcome will likely show up first in how their personal data is traded for access to basic services. Keep an eye on ChatGPT’s integration into government portals—that'll tell you who really won the week.
Summary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting the fourth AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, positioning India as the lead broker between Western tech giants and emerging markets. While big names like Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman are talking shop with ministers from Kenya and Indonesia, the real story is the 'revolving door' on display. Former UK heavyweights Rishi Sunak and George Osborne are now walking the halls for Microsoft and OpenAI. Beyond the 'social justice' marketing, this summit is a push to export India’s digital infrastructure while navigating some very messy financial ties and surveillance risks.
⚡ Key Facts
- India is hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Major tech CEOs including Sundar Pichai (Google), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and Dario Amodei (Anthropic) are attending.
- The summit focuses on India positioning itself as an AI leader for the Global South, addressing issues like agriculture and health.
- The Delhi summit is the fourth iteration of a series starting with Bletchley Park (2023), Seoul (2024), and Paris (2025).
- Rishi Sunak and George Osborne hold specific advisory or corporate roles at Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI.
The AI Revolving Door: Rishi Sunak and George Osborne Join Big Tech
Network of Influence
- Critics of large-scale tech companies who favor increased regulation.
- Political opponents of the Modi administration who utilize surveillance concerns for leverage.
- The Guardian's progressive audience who value narratives focused on global inequality and anti-colonialism.
- Lack of detailed rebuttal from the Indian government regarding surveillance claims.
- Omission of specific Indian AI success stories or existing digital infrastructure projects that support the 'AI hub' claim.
- The historical context of the UK, Korea, and France summits is mentioned but their specific outcomes are not compared to Delhi's goals.
The article frames the AI summit as a moral and economic battleground between predatory Western corporate 'colonialism' and a precarious Global South struggle for 'social justice' led by a controversial leader.