From POLITICO · · 1m 20s
MI5 warns AI could arm terrorists with bioweapons
Britain's spy chief says artificial intelligence poses unprecedented threats, from enabling bioweapon access to outthinking human defenders.
In brief
Britain's spy chief says artificial intelligence poses unprecedented threats, from enabling bioweapon access to outthinking human defenders. MI5 director general Ken McCallum warned that AI could enable terrorists to access bioweapons and established a new threat assessment centre to evaluate AI risks to Britain…
MI5 chief warns of AI threat
Ken McCallum, director general of Britain's domestic intelligence agency, announced on Tuesday that MI5 will lead the government's response to artificial intelligence threats.
AI could enable bioweapon access
McCallum warned that AI poses a real risk of enabling terrorists to access bioweapons, saying he attaches the greatest weight to AI's potential to change the stakes on existing or new bioweapons.
“the greatest weight”
Unprecedented challenge ahead
McCallum said human history has given no experience of facing an actor which is smarter than we are and is capable of outthinking us, troubling him about the pace at which the world is evolving.
“Human history has given us no experience of facing an actor which is smarter than we are, is capable of outthinking us.”
New centre to assess AI risks
MI5 established the AI Threat Assessment Centre, known as AITAC, bringing together expertise from the AI Security Institute, National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre to separate bluster from realities.
MI5 elevates national resilience
McCallum said MI5 will now give national resilience, including protecting critical infrastructure and countering cognitive warfare, front-rank mission status alongside countering state threats and terrorism.
The key point
MI5 director general Ken McCallum warned that AI could enable terrorists to access bioweapons and established a new threat assessment centre to evaluate AI risks to Britain.
