Former UK Conservative politician Rory Stewart predicts an increase in subsea cable threats and more sophisticated, AI-accelerated cyberattacks. Speaking at the cybersecurity event Infosecurity Europe this week at London’s Excel, Stewart delivered his “probabilistic” predictions for the future. He argued that Chinese President Xi Jinping is using the current geopolitical situation to position China as […]
Former UK Conservative politician Rory Stewart predicts an increase in subsea cable threats and more sophisticated, AI-accelerated cyberattacks.
Speaking at the cybersecurity event Infosecurity Europe this week at London’s Excel, Stewart delivered his “probabilistic” predictions for the future.
He argued that Chinese President Xi Jinping is using the current geopolitical situation to position China as the leader of a new global order.
“Xi feels that the United States is humiliating itself and dismantling the NATO alliance,” he said. “He wishes to create a Chinese-led world.”
He cited the Belt and Road Initiative – sometimes referred to as ‘New Silk Road’ (China’s global infrastructure development strategy to invest in more than 150 countries and international organisations); Huawei’s 6G infrastructure rollouts, and the expansion of Chinese digital health systems into countries like Nigeria as evidence of Beijing’s ambition.
“Many Western systems may be unable to operate in these new environments,” Stewart noted, warning that the US may find its technologies increasingly excluded from the developing world.
China’s assertiveness, he argued, also includes covert activities such as physical sabotage of undersea cables.
The former diplomat concluded by focusing on the dual threats posed by AI: deepfakes and election interference.
Stewart warned that large language models (LLMs), once they overcome current limitations in logistics, memory, and modularity, could dramatically accelerate disinformation and political disruption.
“You cannot begin to imagine the type of election campaigns you’ll be able to stand up for nothing,” he said.
“The type of videos, the type of conspiracy theories you’ll be able to encourage… will be staggering.”
Stewart emphasised that the rise of AI and cyber threats makes the cybersecurity profession more relevant than ever.
“But the shift to AI, populism and protectionism is accelerating the threats. You are now more central to global stability than you’ve ever been,” he told the audience of cybersecurity professionals.
Stewart closed with a reminder of the scale of the challenge: “The world is becoming more unpredictable, more vulnerable, and your work sits right at the centre of what comes next.”
The former politician’s comments come as the UK government this week announced a new defence plan that includes the creation of a dedicated cyber unit.
The unit, designed to bolster the nation’s digital defences, reflects growing recognition that cyberattacks—particularly on critical infrastructure like undersea cables—pose an increasingly serious threat to national security.
