MI5 warns AI is supercharging UK security threats

Artificial intelligence is significantly amplifying security threats to the UK, enabling potential attacks with drones and bioweapons, the head of MI5 warned on October 13, 2026. Sir Ken McCallum stated that AI could be exploited by terror groups to 'create new pathogens' and spread death and disease. He revealed that MI5 has already apprehended terrorists seeking to use AI-enabled drones for attacks in Britain, drawing parallels to the advanced drone warfare seen in Ukraine.

In his annual speech, Sir Ken highlighted that the emerging national security risk posed by AI is receiving serious attention within MI5, alongside its efforts to counter threats from hostile states. The Security Service's state threat caseload has quadrupled in the last decade, now requiring more resources than during the Cold War. Sir Ken noted that AI is already intensifying the cybersecurity contest and can produce personalized propaganda and radicalizing material.

While the misuse of AI for bioweapons has not yet manifested, Sir Ken described it as the risk to which he attaches the greatest weight. He suggested that AI could lower the barrier for less sophisticated actors to develop dangerous knowledge or even generate novel pathogens. He also mentioned that groups like Al Qaeda could use AI to identify security loopholes in virus research. MI5 is collaborating with domestic and international partners to address these risks, with the government taking additional steps concerning bioweapons.

Sir Ken also warned of proxy attacks from Russia, which he identified as 'aggressor number one,' and Iran. He cited Iran's alleged involvement in a plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire last month, noting that such incidents are not unique in the UK, with over 50 arrests related to Iran in the past year.