Metreweli is the first woman to lead MI6 and assumed the role of “C” after a career spanning operations and technology leadership within the service.

Her speech marked a rare public intervention by an MI6 chief, signaling institutional priorities at a moment of sustained geopolitical tension.

Power Beyond the State

Metreweli’s central argument was that political authority is no longer concentrated primarily in governments.

She said power is becoming “more diffuse, more unpredictable,” as control over advanced technologies shifts from states to corporations and, in some cases, individuals.

She warned that algorithms could “become as powerful as states,” citing their role in shaping information flows, influencing public behavior, and enabling highly personalized tools.

In her framing, artificial intelligence, data ownership, and platform governance are no longer marginal policy questions but core determinants of security, stability, and influence.

“The Front Line Everywhere”

Describing the global environment, Metreweli said the world is operating in a “space between peace and war,” where traditional distinctions between conflict and peacetime have eroded.

She argued that the “front line” is now everywhere, defined by cyberattacks, sabotage, and disinformation rather than conventional military engagement alone.

According to Metreweli, these methods allow hostile actors to apply pressure without crossing thresholds that would trigger open war, complicating deterrence and response strategies for Western governments.

Russia and Hybrid Pressure

Metreweli identified Russia as a central driver of this environment, accusing President Vladimir Putin of prolonging the war in Ukraine and testing Western states through actions below the level of formal conflict.

Her remarks situate Russia’s campaign within a broader pattern of hybrid tactics rather than isolated military operations.

The reference underscored MI6’s assessment that security threats are cumulative and continuous, rather than episodic.

In this framework, intelligence services are tasked with monitoring political influence operations, cyber capabilities, and technological leverage alongside traditional espionage targets.

Technology Inside Intelligence

Drawing on her previous role as head of MI6’s technology division, known internally as “Q,” Metreweli emphasized the operational implications of her analysis.

She said intelligence officers must be “as fluent in Python as in multiple languages,” signaling a recalibration of skills and recruitment priorities.

She concluded by framing the defining challenge of the 21st century as not only who controls technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum computing, but who guides their use wisely.

The statement positioned MI6’s mission as extending beyond threat detection to long-term stewardship of technological power.