MI5 chief warns of threats to UK from Russia, Iran and AI

MI5 chief warns of threats to UK from Russia, Iran, and AI

The full report

MI5 is devoting more resources to countering state threats than during the Cold War, according to the head of the intelligence service, Sir Ken McCallum. He stated that threats from foreign adversaries have quadrupled in the last decade.

Russia is considered the "aggressor number one" by MI5, with increased Iran-linked aggression against Jewish sites and military bases. Sir Ken also warned of rising threats from "extreme right-wing terrorism".

The MI5 chief highlighted the role of AI in "supercharging the cyber-security contest between attackers and defenders". He noted that MI5 has "caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI," including by integrating the technology with drones.

The biggest threat from the misuse of AI, according to Sir Ken, is extremist groups using the technology to harness new and existing bioweapons. He also stated that Russia has stopped short of "conventional conflict" against Nato and is instead trying to unsettle European countries.

Hybrid warfare or hybrid attacks, which involve non-military methods such as cyber-attacks, sabotage, or misinformation, are being employed by Russia. Sir Ken noted that MI5 successes in identifying and expelling Russian spies from the UK have left the Kremlin dependent on paying proxies for attempted attacks.

The Kremlin's global toolkit is weak, according to Sir Ken, with its traditional covert footprint eviscerated by almost 1,000 expulsions since the invasion. He added that Russia is "scrambling to pay criminals to do their bidding".