MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum warns the UK is entering a “new era of national security,” with threats ranging from hostile states and terrorism potentially being amplified by artificial intelligence. In his annual threat update, he says AI is already accelerating the contest between attackers and defenders, raising the risk that existing or new biological weapons could be misused.
Across the outlets, McCallum’s comments focus on terrorism and cyber and operational risks, including concerns that AI could help groups develop or target with drones and, if safeguards fail, pursue bioweapons. Several reports note his assertion that the “stakes” may change for both existing and future weapon threats, with bioweapons described as a particularly serious “misuse case.”
Outlets also describe institutional steps announced by MI5, including launching a UK AI Threat Assessment Centre that brings together expertise from multiple bodies to produce risk assessments. The reporting agrees that McCallum draws a parallel to the post–9/11 period, when intelligence agencies faced an uncertain threat environment and worked to build a response, while emphasizing that no single complete solution to AI-related risks is currently available.
