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MI6 chief: we'll be as fluent in Python as we are in Russian. New spy boss says officers must master code alongside tradecraft as agency navigates 'space between peace and war'. MI6's new chief Blaise Metreweli outlined her vision for technology-augmented intelligence gathering in her first public speech on 15 December, warning that the UK operates "in a space between peace and war." Speaking at MI6's Thames-side headquarters, Metreweli - previously the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service’s director general of technology and innovation known as ‘Q’ - said advanced technologies will accelerate both threats and opportunities. UK may already be at war with Russia, ex-MI5 head suggests “Advances in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum computing are not only revolutionising economies but rewriting the reality of conflict, as they ‘converge’ to create science fiction-like tools,” she said. “We are now operating in a space between peace and war," Metreweli added. She highlighted duak risls: states racing for technological supremacy and algorithms becoming "as powerful as states," with hyper-personalized tools serving as "a new vector for conflict and control." While mentioning China, Metreweli focused mainly on threats from Russia. She said the country is “testing us in the grey zone with tactics that are just below the threshold of war." She described chaos export as a deliberate feature of Russian strategy, enabled by cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, drones near sensitive sites, and propaganda operations. Countering disinformation requires society-wide efforts including teaching children to evaluate sources and recognize manipulative algorithms that "trigger intense reactions, like fear,” she said. Despite technology's growing role, Metreweli emphasized human primacy, saying "information requires judgement; complexity demands clarity; and only people can decide which path to follow.” AI will "augment, not replace, our human skills”. This demands what she called "mastery of technology" across the service, with officers required to become "as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python as we are in multiple other languages." Recruitment will target linguists, data scientists, engineers, and technologists alike. Metreweli, MI6's first female chief and only public figure, pledged continued openness through public engagement and initiatives like Silent Courier, a dark web portal launched in September for secure communication with foreign informants.