In her first public address as head of MI6, Blaise Metreweli offered a sweeping and detailed vision for the future of Britain’s foreign intelligence service, drawing on her decades-long career in espionage and technological innovation. Speaking from a private dining room at MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall, Metreweli, the youngest and first female head of the Service, set out a blueprint for an agency that balances audacious covert action with mastery of emerging technologies and a deep commitment to ethical human-centered intelligence.
“This iconic building, familiar to movie fans everywhere, is the home of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency,” Metreweli began. She immediately contextualized the work of MI6, emphasizing that much of the Service’s activities are conducted far from the public eye. “Whilst hundreds of my team pass through the entry pods each day, the truth is that most of our work happens many miles away from this place—out of sight, hidden from the world, undercover, recruiting and running agents who choose to place their trust in us, sharing secrets to make the UK and the world safer,” she said.
Highlighting the everyday presence of MI6 officers in the wider world, she said: “You might pass one of our officers on the street or sit next to them on a plane when you’re about to set off on an adventure of your own, or in a foreign city taking selfies by the sights. Whether it’s in seemingly everyday places, or on the front line embedded with our military, MI6 is there.” This image, Metreweli stressed, demonstrates the Service’s dual role: both discreet and operational, present across the globe while remaining largely unseen.
Human Agency at the Core of Intelligence
Central to Metreweli’s address was the theme of human agency. She framed intelligence not merely as information gathering but as a force that can shape the world. “Today, I want to talk about human agency. We all have choices to make about how we deal with the undercurrents shaping our world,” she said. She explained that in a “faster, more dangerous and technology-mediated world, it will be our rediscovery of our shared humanity, our ability to listen, and our courage that will determine how our future unfolds. Conflict is not inevitable.”
Metreweli drew on her personal background to explain her perspective. “Understanding human nature is in my bones. From a family shaped by devastating conflict, I grew up with a deep sense of gratitude for the UK’s precious democracy and freedom. I spent much of my childhood overseas, which is where my passion for travel and adventure began. I studied anthropology, and later psychology and AI, exploring how we make sense of the world and each other. It’s why I was drawn to MI6: it offers strong purpose, a chance to serve and a belief in the positive power of human connection.”
Operational Experience and Global Reach
Metreweli described herself as “operational to my very core,” drawing on nearly three decades of experience. “Over nearly three decades, my career has involved recruiting and running agents in hostile territory; and leading operations in warzones to defuse threats and support peace. Always in teams, always learning from others,” she said. Over the years, she explained, she has worked with hundreds of partners—and sometimes adversaries—across dozens of countries, addressing threats such as weapons proliferation and terrorism.
“You’ll find many like me in my organisation: powerfully motivated to protect our precious country; curious about how our world is changing, joining dots and taking action, across domains,” she noted. Her remarks underscored the Service’s dedication to proactive intelligence and global operations, emphasizing the human skills and ethical judgment required to navigate complex international environments.
Technology as a Force Multiplier
A significant portion of Metreweli’s speech focused on the role of advanced technology in shaping modern intelligence. Drawing on her previous role as MI6’s technical chief, she explained that “it was in my last role as ‘Q’, where it was my job to turn emerging technologies from threats to opportunities, that I could most see the world changing. As I dug deep into data and extraordinary innovation, I could see how technology was rapidly reshaping not just our capabilities but also conflict and trust, truth and global power.”
She warned that advances in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum computing are transforming both opportunity and threat. “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. While these advances promise significant benefits—from personalized medicine to green technology—they also carry profound risks. “AI-powered robots and drones are brilliant for scaled manufacturing but devastating on the battlefield. Discoveries that cure disease can also create new weapons. And as states race for tech supremacy, or as some algorithms become as powerful as states, those hyper-personalised tools could become a new vector for conflict and control.”
Metreweli highlighted the shifting balance of power. “Power itself is becoming more diffuse, more unpredictable as control over these technologies is shifting from states to corporations, and sometimes to individuals,” she said. She also warned about the erosion of societal trust: “Information, once a unifying force, is increasingly weaponised. Falsehood spreads faster than fact, dividing communities and distorting reality. We live in an age of hyper-connection yet profound isolation. The algorithms flatter our biases and fracture our public squares. And as trust collapses, so does our shared sense of truth—one of the greatest losses a society can suffer.”
Global Security and Interconnected Threats
Metreweli described the modern security environment as complex and multi-dimensional. “Across the globe, we are now confronting not one single danger, but an interlocking web of security challenges—military, technological, social, ethical even—each shaping the other in complex ways,” she said. “We are now operating in a space between peace and war…Our world is being actively remade, with profound implications for national and international security.”
She acknowledged the ongoing challenges posed by states like Russia and the importance of monitoring China’s rise, stating: “And as China will be a central part of the global transformation taking place this century, it is essential that we, as MI6, continue to inform the government’s understanding of China’s rise and the implications for UK national security.” On Russia, she described the grey-zone tactics employed, including cyberattacks, drones, maritime aggression, sabotage, and propaganda campaigns, emphasizing the need for continuous vigilance.
Integration of Technology and Human Skills
Metreweli emphasized the integration of technology and human intelligence as central to MI6’s future operations. “AI is a domain in which we will excel, using the technology to augment, not replace, our human skills. Every digital trace, every byte of data, every algorithmic decision has implications for the safety of the lives of the courageous people who work with us as officers and agents, and for the UK’s strategic advantage,” she said. Officers, she stressed, will become “as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python as we are in multiple other languages.”
She also underscored the need for the agency to recruit and retain the best talent, saying: “Under my leadership, MI6 will continue to attract Britain’s best and most creative minds: linguists and data scientists, case officers and engineers, behavioural experts and technologists. We need people who walk in the shoes and get in the heads of our adversaries. We need people who think differently, challenge assumptions, and act decisively.”
Ethics, Risk, and Strategic Action
Metreweli repeatedly stressed that MI6’s operations must balance boldness with ethical standards. “We will take calculated risks, where the prize is significant and the national interest clear. We will never stoop to the tactics of our opponents. But we must seek to outplay them. In every domain. In every way,” she said. Intelligence, she argued, must drive action, and action must deliver advantage: “So intelligence must drive action. Action must deliver advantage. And advantage must serve Britain’s security and prosperity.”
Human-Centered Approach to Conflict Resolution
A central tenet of her speech was MI6’s emphasis on listening and understanding as part of operational strategy. “I’ve seen time and again throughout my career, that this is where MI6 matters most: we listen and we hear. We understand, because we take time to learn languages and cultures, complex technical and historical detail, immerse ourselves in what’s really driving the situation,” she said. She recounted instances in which officers engaged with terrorists, proliferators, and citizens in authoritarian regimes to defuse threats and gather critical intelligence.
Transparency, Trust, and Public Engagement
Metreweli also emphasized transparency and public trust as foundational to MI6’s legitimacy. “Transparency does not mean revealing what must remain secret. It means showing the British people who we are, what we stand for, and why our work matters. We need your trust and support for the difficult and often dangerous work our agents pursue, every day of the year,” she said. She noted that MI6 would continue public engagement and efforts to attract diverse talent, framing openness as a strength.
Concluding Vision: Human Agency Above All
Metreweli concluded with a powerful reflection on the human element of intelligence work: “As we step into the future, the tools at our disposal will evolve. But what will always matter most is the human element—the person who stands in the shadows and says: this is right, and that is wrong. That choice—the exercise of human agency—has shaped our world before, and it will shape it again. Because in the end, it is not what we can do that defines us, but what we choose to do.”
Her address presents a clear vision for MI6: an agency that integrates cutting-edge technology, human insight, ethical action, and global collaboration to confront the multifaceted security challenges of the 21st century. Metreweli’s words underscore that in an era of rapid technological change and geopolitical uncertainty, Britain’s intelligence service must not only anticipate threats but also actively shape outcomes, guided by principle, courage, and the enduring power of human agency.
