MI6 and CIA chiefs disclose use of generative AI amid Russia’s disinformation threat

The chiefs of MI6 and the CIA have revealed for the first time that the agencies are using generative AI. In a joint article for the Financial Times, Sir Richard Moore and William Burns wrote: “We are now using AI, including generative AI, to enable and improve intelligence activities — from summarisation to ideation to helping identify key information in a sea of data.”

The spookmasters are reportedly training AI to help protect and “red team” their operations to ensure it can “still stay secret when we need to.”

In the FT op-ed, they wrote: “We are using cloud technologies so our brilliant data scientists can make the most of our data, and we are partnering with the most innovative companies in the US, UK and around the world.”

The conflict in Ukraine has shown how technology has changed the course of war, and highlighted the need to “adapt, experiment and innovate.”

They continued: “Beyond Ukraine, we continue to work together to disrupt the reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe being waged by Russian intelligence, and its cynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation designed to drive wedges between us.”

The security service heads also made their first public speaking appearance at the FT Weekend Festival at London’s Kenwood House on Saturday (September 7). Speaking to FT editor Roula Khalaf, Burns added: “In 40 years in public service in the United States, it’s as complicated a moment as I’ve seen and added to that is the revolution of technology which is changing the way we live, work, fight, and compete across human society, but it’s also transforming the profession of intelligence too.”

Moore also talked about AI’s “transformative” nature and the need to stay on top of emerging technologies. He explained how large language models could identify targets in a counterterrorism operation, who might be involved in extremist groups. The models can distil the information, “giving you if you like the sort of vernacular that case officers operational officers can then use as they frame and approach some of these characters.”

In May, it was reported that U.S. intelligence agencies were using generative AI three years before OpenAI’s ChatGPT was released.

A Silicon Valley firm provided data to the agency with evidence summaries for potential criminal cases as part of the 2019 Sable Spear operation.

“You wouldn’t be able to do that without artificial intelligence,” said Brian Drake, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s then-director of AI and the project coordinator.

Featured image: Canva / Ideogram

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