The head of MI5 has warned that terrorists could use artificial intelligence to create deadly new diseases and develop biological weapons. Sir Ken McCallum, Britain's top spy boss, fears the technology could hand dangerous new powers to extremists, potentially allowing them to create pathogens never seen before.
AI threats already emerging
In a warning at MI5's Thames House headquarters, Sir Ken revealed that terrorists have already been caught using AI to help plan attacks, while AI-powered drones pose a growing threat. He said the nightmare scenario of AI helping fanatics obtain biological weapons could become a reality if safeguards fail.
Sir Ken stated: "One risk, this is not yet manifest, but one risk is that AI could enable dangerous knowledge to get into the hands of people we would all rather didn't have that knowledge." He added: "A second and different risk... is the possibility that AI could generate novel pathogens not previously seen."
Changing terror capabilities
He noted that terror groups have long dreamed of obtaining weapons capable of causing mass casualties, but super-powered AI could quickly change that. Sir Ken said: "For the last 25 years I suppose, if you look at where Al Qaeda was in the 9/11 era, it has long been the case that many terrorists would dearly love to have some kind of capability around chemical or biological or radiological weaponry but that hasn't been easy for them to achieve."
The security chief also revealed that MI5 had already uncovered extremists attempting to exploit the technology. He said: "We've caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI to improve their reconnaissance and attack methodologies, with AI-enabled drones adding a new twist."
New threat assessment centre
Sir Ken warned that AI could become cleverer than the humans trying to control it. He said: "Put at its simplest, human history has given us no experience of facing an actor which is smarter than we are, is capable of out-thinking us. This is genuinely novel. And deserves the serious attention it is getting, including in MI5."
The spy agency is launching a new AI Threat Assessment Centre alongside the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre to tackle the emerging dangers.
Sir Ken also urged Brits to prepare for threats closer to home, including hackers targeting banks, hospitals and power supplies. He warned: "A hack of your banking app could lock you out of your accounts. A drone on an airport runway could leave you stranded far from home. A cyber-attack on your local hospital could delay your treatment. We all have a stake in our national security."
