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

MI5 is devoting more resource to countering state threats than during the Cold War, the head of the intelligence service has said.

Sir Ken McCallum said threats from foreign adversaries had quadrupled in the last decade, with Russia “aggressor number one” as well as increased Iran-linked aggression against Jewish sites and military bases.

At an annual speech in London, MI5’s chief said Russia was waging hybrid warfare at a time when AI was “supercharging the cyber-security contest between attackers and defenders”.

He said the biggest threat from the misuse of AI was extremist groups using the technology to harness new and existing bioweapons.

Read more: BBC