UK Spy Chief Warns of AI Danger, Though Not Disaster-Movie Doom

AI systems acting without human control could one day pose a security threat, the head of Britain’s MI5 spy agency said on Thursday, although he said he was not predicting doom scenarios as depicted in sci-fi movies.

Tech leaders have warned about the dangers of unchecked AI, and that people should be concerned about a “Terminator” future, as seen in the film series about an artificial intelligence system that becomes self-aware and tries to wipe out humanity.

In his annual speech on threats to Britain, MI5 chief Ken McCallum said AI was used by the British security services to make their work more effective, while terrorists employed it for propaganda and target reconnaissance, and state actors to manipulate elections and sharpen cyberattacks.

“But in 2025, while contending with today’s threats, we also need to scope out the next frontier: potential future risks from non-human, autonomous AI systems which may evade human oversight and control,” he said.

“Given the risk of hype and scare-mongering, I will choose my words carefully. I am not forecasting Hollywood movie scenarios … But, as AI capabilities continue to power ahead, you would expect organizations like MI5 … to be thinking deeply, today, about what ‘Defending the Realm’ might need to look like in the years ahead,” he said.

“Artificial intelligence may never ‘mean’ us harm,” McCallum said. “But it would be reckless to ignore the potential for it to cause harm. We’re on the case.”

(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Peter Graff)