He mentioned Mr Putin is “clearly under pressure”, as demonstrated by the current revolt by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries.
Asked how far Mr Putin is ready to go, given his references to nuclear weapons, Sir Richard mentioned: “He actually didn’t combat again towards Prigozhin, he lower a deal to save his pores and skin, utilizing the good workplaces of the chief of Belarus.
“Even I can’t see inside Putin’s head, however … the solely individuals who have been speaking about escalation and nuclear weapons are Putin and a handful of henchmen round him.
“That is irresponsible, it’s reckless and it’s designed to attempt to weaken our resolve in supporting Ukraine and it’ll not work.”
Sir Richard mentioned AI is getting used to disrupt the provide of weapons to Russia however machines is not going to substitute human spies.
“As AI trawls the ocean of open source, there will be ever greater value in landing, with a well-cast fly, the secrets that lie beyond the reach of its net,” he mentioned.
Human brokers “are never just passive collectors of information” and “sometimes they can influence decisions inside a government or terrorist group”.
But he mentioned know-how is shifting “with startling speed”.
‘Damaging, reckless and unethical ways’
“My teams are now using AI to augment, but not replace, their own judgement about how people might act in various situations,” he mentioned.
“They’re combining their skills with AI and bulk data to identify and disrupt the flow of weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.”
But Sir Richard mentioned AI may additionally be used by hostile states “in damaging, reckless and unethical ways”.
With Rishi Sunak’s drive for the UK to play a lead function in AI regulation, Sir Richard provided an olive department to China over the know-how.
“I remain hopeful that our common humanity and our shared interest in understanding the power of AI may yet lead to agreement on global co-ordination, on which our Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is leading the way,” he mentioned.
“China’s draft AI regulations emphasise the importance of veracity, accuracy, objectivity and diversity. I can only say we agree. Let’s make those fine words a reality, not a slogan.”
Sir Richard, 60, who was appointed SIS chief in 2020, used the speech – solely the second he has ever given in public – to insist that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine stays doomed and provide a proof as to “why Russia is continuing to fail to achieve its military objectives”.
He was talking from the British Embassy in the Czech capital, emphasising the UK’s “close relationship” with the former Eastern Bloc nation and the symbolism of the nation’s resistance to Soviet imperialism in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.