Chinese intelligence tried to “covertly benefit” from British AI and technology research, security minister Dan Jarvis has warned, after MI5 accused a Beijing-linked institute of using UK academics to boost its spying capabilities.
Britain’s domestic intelligence agency said more than 100 UK-linked academics had contributed to projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), which it said has “very strong ties” to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
“This alert exposes attempts by Chinese intelligence to covertly benefit from the expertise and research of our academics” Jarvis said, warning the activity was “undermining our national security”.
The warning, issued on Wednesday, is the first time MI5 has independently published a so-called “Espionage Alert”.
It told universities to immediately review any current or planned work involving CGTRI.
MI5 said the institute funded research into AI, cyber security, covert communications and steganography – techniques used to conceal information inside other data.
The agency said CGTRI’s “primary purposel was to fund academic research that directly improved the MSS’s technical capabilities for espionage.
Some British researchers may have worked with the organisation without knowing about its alleged intelligence links, MI5 said, pointing to CGTRI’s “obfuscated” relationship with the MSS.
Jarvis said he had written to all university vice-chancellors asking them to help staff end arrangements with CGTRI and comply with the National Security Act.
MI5 has also told academics working with Chinese institutions to establish the ultimate source of funding behind projects before agreeing to collaborate.
AI in the crosshairs
MI5’s intervention comes just weeks after its director general Sir Ken McCallum warned that Britain’s next major security shock could emerge from somewhere intelligence agencies were not yet looking.
“The uncomfortable truth is that the next strategic shock may already be taking shape somewhere we are not yet looking” McCallum said earlier this month.
His comments were not linked to a specific plot, but came as MI5 grapples with a broader mix of terrorism, hostile-state activity, cyber attacks and emerging tech.
The number of people investigated by MI5 over suspected involvement in state-threat activity rose 35 per cent in the year to October 2025, according to McCallum.
Intelligence chiefs have warned AI can bolster cyber attacks, propaganda, reconnaissance and influence operations, while MI5 is also deploying AI to help analyse intelligence.
Wednesday’s warning focuses instead on attempts to obtain the underlying British research.
MI5 said academics may previously have worked with CGTRI “in good faith”, but warned universities against further collaboration now its alleged ties to Chinese intelligence had been made public.
China has rejected allegations of espionage against Britain. Its embassy in London called the latest accusations “entirely fabricated” and “malicious slander”.
“International partnerships are vital to ensure our universities and research institutes continue to thrive”, Jarvis said, “but we will take robust action to defend against the threats we face”.
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