Ken McCallum

“radicalised extreme right-wing 13-year-old here in the UK”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said MI5 had investigated a radicalised extreme right-wing 13-year-old in the UK in recent months.

“So we see them scrambling to pay criminals to do their bidding.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said Russia is scrambling to pay criminals to do their bidding after spy expulsions.

“We've caught terrorists seeking to exploit Al to improve their reconnaissance and attack methodologies, with Al-enabled drones adding a new twist.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said MI5 had caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI to improve reconnaissance and attack methodologies with AI-enabled drones.

“potential to change the stakes”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken warned that AI technology has the potential to change the stakes regarding bioweapons threats.

“It can produce propaganda and radicalising material tailored to the individual.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said AI can produce propaganda and radicalising material tailored to the individual.

“Put at its simplest, human history has given us no experience of facing an actor which is smarter than we are”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken told Thames House that human history has given no experience of facing an actor smarter than we are.

“These are not the actions of a great power with the strategic upper hand.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken added that Russia's actions are not those of a great power with the strategic upper hand.

“pretty much of equal scale”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said work countering terrorism and state threats was now pretty much of equal scale, a huge shift in recent years.

“harder targets, like military sites”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said much of Iran's aggression has been aimed at Jewish communities and harder targets like military sites.

“I am a little bit anxious that we don't play into our adversaries' hands by making these trolls look 10ft tall,”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken told reporters he was anxious about not playing into adversaries' hands by making internet trolls look 10ft tall.

“Over the last year the most marked trend has been an increase in cases where extremist versions of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim grievance are tipping into terrorist intent.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said the most marked trend over the last year was anti-immigration and anti-Muslim grievance tipping into terrorist intent.

“With its traditional covert footprint eviscerated by almost 1,000 expulsions since the invasion, the Kremlin's global toolkit is weak, he said.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said MI5 successes in expelling Russian spies had left the Kremlin's global toolkit weak.

“caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI,”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said MI5 had caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI, including by integrating the technology with drones.

“We have seen Iranian interest beyond RAF Fairford in the UK.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken told reporters after his speech that there had been Iranian interest beyond RAF Fairford in the UK.

“What I can say is that those who seek to cause mayhem on British streets - whether hired thugs here or their paymasters overseas - will meet an unflinching response.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said in his speech that those who seek to cause mayhem on British streets will meet an unflinching response.

“These risks are real. The UK Intelligence Community - MI5, GCHQ, MI6 - is working closely with the UK's globally respected AI Security Institute to take them on.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said the UK Intelligence Community is working closely with the AI Security Institute to address real AI risks.

“That investigation generated insight that enabled one of our international partners to prevent a lethal attack on their soil.”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said the investigation of the 13-year-old generated insight that enabled an international partner to prevent a lethal attack.

“minimal and horrifically costly”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said Russia's progress in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine is minimal and horrifically costly.

“supercharging the cyber-security contest between attackers and defenders”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken said AI was supercharging the cyber-security contest between attackers and defenders amid Russia's hybrid warfare.

“separate the bluster from the realities”

Ken McCallum · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-13

Sir Ken announced MI5 had launched an AI Threat Assessment Centre to assess sources and separate bluster from realities.