AI could give terrorists access to bioweapons or generate new pathogens if guardrails on the technology fail, the head of MI5 has said.
In a speech at Thames House on Tuesday, Sir Ken McCallum gave his annual update on terror threats facing the UK.
The security service chief said among the potential ways that humans could misuse AI, bioweapons are a key concern.
He told audience members: “AI is already supercharging the cybersecurity contest between attackers and defenders. It can produce propaganda and radicalising material tailored to the individual.
“We’ve caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI to improve their reconnaissance and attack methodologies, with AI-enabled drones adding a new twist.
“Not yet realised – but the misuse case to which I’d attach greatest weight – is AI’s potential to change the stakes on existing or even new bioweapons.”
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