GCHQ draws up plans for world-first national AI cyber defence system

GCHQ has drawn up plans for a world-first national AI cyber defence system that would, within five years, use AI agents to detect and flag threats to critical infrastructure, airlines, telecoms firms, and other major companies. The aim is to make hacks like Jaguar Land Rover's breach far less likely. The director's inaugural annual lecture at Bletchley Park framed AI as an 'unstoppable force' the UK must harness for good, stressing responsible, ethical embedding of frontier AI into operations to enhance algorithms, translation capabilities, and rapid data analysis. Keast-Butler warned that Russia is relentlessly targeting infrastructure and democratic processes, urging rapid, coordinated action across sectors.