London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

MI6 must adapt to new technology to survive, says spy chief

MI6 must adapt to new technology to survive, says spy chief

Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, better known as MI6, must become more open in order to do its secret work effectively. That's according to its chief, Richard Moore, in his first major public speech since taking on the role in October 2020.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), quantum computing and digital technology have combined to completely transform the way human intelligence is gathered by spies, presenting MI6 with major challenges in the digital age.

Biometric data and facial recognition, for example, have made it far harder for intelligence officers to assume false identities in hostile countries without being recognised and exposed.

It was revealed in September that inside MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall Cross there is a real-life Q Section that works to provide Britain's spies with the latest gadgets to keep them safe and secret.

But on Tuesday, in addressing the London-based think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Mr Moore will admit that mastering human intelligence in this era of accelerating technology is not something his service can do in its own.

MI6 spies acquire secrets from overseas targets to help protect Britain's national security


Mr Moore, who has spent 34 years working for MI6, will tell his audience it "includes being more open, and partnering with the private sector to find new technologies".

He adds that "advances in quantum engineering and engineered biology will change entire industries".

Advances here and in data science in general will have attractions for malign actors, both nation-state and trans-national terrorist groups.

"I am paid," he says, "to look at the threat side of the ledger. MI6 deals with the world as it is, not as we would like it to be".

He describes the impact of all this revolutionary technical progress as "a white-hot focus for MI6".

So where exactly does he say these threats to the UK's national security are coming from?

Mr Moore lists China, Russia, Iran and international terrorism as the "Big Four" priorities for the (West's) intelligence world.

"Our adversaries are pouring money and ambition into mastering artificial intelligence, quantum computing and synthetic biology because they know... this will give them leverage".

Artificial intelligence has transformed the way information is gathered by spies


As one of Britain's three intelligence agencies, along with the Security Service (MI5) and GCHQ, MI6's role has always been to acquire secrets from overseas targets to help protect Britain's national security.

While human intelligence - old-fashioned spying - has been at the heart of its work, the MI6 chief points to his service's innovations over time. Examples he cites are "from the chemistry that enabled us to produce secret writing technologies in the early days, to the wireless and secure speech technologies we developed during the Second World War".

Today, he says, MI6 is a founding member of the UK's unified cyber command which counters state threats, terrorists and criminals and supports military operations.

This speech could perhaps be seen as a belated admission that if it is not careful, MI6 risks getting left behind by the breakneck speed of advances in digital technology.

"We cannot hope to replicate the global tech industry, so we must tap into it," he says. "

Through the National Security Strategic Investment Fund we are opening up our mission problems to those with talent in organisations that wouldn't normally work with national security."

But such a sea change in the way MI6 works will not go unnoticed by Britain's adversaries. Going into partnership with others outside the closed world of career spies, whose lifelong mantra has been secrecy, brings with it an inherent risk of leaks or worse, however thoroughly people are vetted.

MI6 may have no other choice but to go down this route - but it is still a bold move that could present the UK's enemies with some interesting opportunities.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×