BLETCHLEY, England (AP) 鈥� Artificial intelligence is 鈥渁n unstoppable force鈥� that is being weaponized in ways that fall just short of traditional warfare, the U.K. warned Wednesday.
, director of the communications intelligence agency GCHQ, said that Britain and its allies are in 鈥渁 space between peace and war鈥� as Russia increases its 鈥渄aily hybrid activity鈥� against the West 鈥� even as Russian combat deaths in Ukraine approach 500,000.
She said that the West risks losing the against Russia and other adversaries, unless citizens, companies and governments treat cybersecurity with much greater urgency.
鈥淚鈥檝e spent three decades working in national security, and the risk of miscalculation is as high as I鈥檝e ever seen it,鈥� Keast-Butler said in a speech at a World War II code-breaking center near London.
She said that 鈥渢ech companies are releasing AI-driven innovations at a remarkable pace, with untold consequences, as algorithms are weaponized often just below the threshold of traditional warfare.
鈥淎I is an unstoppable force with great opportunity,鈥� she added. 鈥淏ut it is also a force with risks.鈥�
Keast-Butler singled out Russia as a threat, accusing Moscow of 鈥渞elentlessly targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust,鈥� as well as stealing technology and plotting sabotage and assassination attempts.
鈥淩ussia is scaling up its daily hybrid activity against the U.K. and Europe, stretching from the seabed to cyberspace,鈥� she told an audience of computing experts, diplomats, journalists and senior officials.
She said that one focus for British spies is 鈥渆xposing Russia鈥檚 intent, motive and underwater capabilities鈥� to target undersea telecoms cables and energy pipelines.
At the same time, she said that Russian troops are 鈥済oing backwards on the battlefield,鈥� with new intelligence suggesting 鈥渁lmost half a million Russian soldiers鈥� have been killed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
The speech is the latest in a string of warnings from and intelligence experts that Russia is stepping up in a 鈥済ray zone鈥� that falls just below the threshold of war.
In recent months, authorities in countries including Sweden, Poland, Denmark and Norway have alleged that hackers linked to Russia targeted their critical infrastructure, including power plants and dams.
The head of the U.K.鈥檚 National Cyber Security Centre, Richard Horne, warned last month that hostile states including Russia, China and Iran are behind the most serious cyberattacks the country faces. He said could increase dramatically if Britain becomes involved in an international conflict.
Keast-Butler said that rapid advances in artificial intelligence mean that 鈥渢he ground beneath our feet is shifting鈥� and there is a 鈥渘arrowing window for the U.K. and allies to stay ahead鈥� of countries such as China, a science and technology 鈥渟uperpower.鈥�
She said that the threat extends to space, where thousands of satellites have been launched in the last few years, and 鈥渂oth China and Russia are investing heavily … to support both peace and war ambitions.鈥�
The spy chief said that GCHQ is developing a plan to use cutting-edge agentic AI for a national cybershield that could protect U.K. infrastructure and businesses from cyberattacks 鈥� though it’s thought to be several years from completion.
Harnessed responsibly, she said, AI can help spies 鈥渆nhance algorithms, translate foreign languages, and find needles in haystacks quicker than ever before.鈥�
Keast-Butler also said that the U.K.-U.S. intelligence partnership is 鈥渇undamental for the security of both our nations.鈥� She spoke as U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥淎merica First鈥� foreign policy platform and disregard for longtime allies strain the relationship between London and Washington.
GCHQ, short for Government Communications Headquarters, is the U.K.鈥檚 electronic and cyberintelligence agency. It works alongside the domestic security service MI5 and the foreign intelligence agency MI6.
Keast-Butler, the first woman to head the agency, delivered the GCHQ director鈥檚 annual lecture speech at the agency鈥檚 World War II headquarters of Bletchley Park, a manor house 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of London where hundreds of mathematicians, cryptographers, crossword puzzlers, chess masters and other experts worked to crack Nazi Germany鈥檚 supposedly unbreakable secret codes.
Their work both shortened the war and hastened the birth of modern computing.
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