The Guardian · October 14, 2026

MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum Announces an AI Threat Assessment Centre in His Annual Threat Update on Tuesday

• MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum said in his annual threat update on Tuesday that AI's potential in relation to bioweapons is the misuse case to which he attaches the greatest weight, and that this misuse is not yet realised, according to the report.
• McCallum announced the launch of an AI Threat Assessment Centre, housed in MI5 and drawing on the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of GCHQ, according to the report.
• McCallum said MI5 has caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI to improve their reconnaissance and attack methodologies, with AI-enabled drones adding a new element, according to the report.

Statements attributed to McCallum, as reported. Original headline: "Could AI change the stakes in the development of bioweapons?".