M's warning is a stark one as he briefs James Bond about the latest threat he needs the legendary spy to deal with. A kidnapped scientist has developed a biological weapon in the form of tiny robots that will act like a deadly virus against a chosen person. The problem, he explains, is that "the world is arming faster than we can respond".

This is a scene from the new Bond film No Time To Die. The weapon, HeraclesNamed after a figure in classical myth, known as Hercules, who had superhuman strength., does not actually exist - but M's anxiety about the equipment being developed by Britain's enemies is shared by his real-life counterpart.

In a speech yesterday, MI6Founded in 1909, it is officially called the Secret Intelligence Service. It came to be known as MI6 (short for Military Intelligence Section 6) during World War Two.'s chief Richard MooreA former diplomat who worked in countries such as Iran, which he has called a major threat to the West. (no relation to Roger MooreThe actor played Bond in seven of the movies.), explained that artificial intelligence, digital technology and quantum computing had transformed the way spies gather intelligence. CThe first head of the Secret Intelligence Service was  Mansfield George Smith-Cumming, who signed documents "C". This became his codename, which was inherited by his successors., as he is officially known, said that the challenge must be a "white-hot focus" for his organisation.

For example, it is far harder now for agents to disguise themselves when working in foreign countries. Facial-recognition technology means that putting on glasses and a false beard is no longer enough.  

Moore added that MI6's QShort for "quartermaster", the person responsible for equipping agents. department, famous for supplying James Bond with weapons disguised as pens and wristwatches, could not meet the challenge alone. It needed the assistance of tech companies "that wouldn't normally work with national security".

The problem, according to the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner, is that for the past 20 years Britain has devoted so many resources to dealing with terrorists and its enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, it has failed to keep a proper eye on China, which - like Russia - has been spending billions on developing new weapons and gadgets.

Unfortunately, with science advancing so fast, MI6 cannot afford to spend 18 months vetting tech experts before recruiting them, as it would with other agents. That gives its enemies a bigger chance of infiltrating it.

Q-style inventions go back further than most people realise. The Italian painter Leon Battista Alberti came up with a metal coding device in 1466. A type of invisible ink was used by the Americans in the War of Independence. In the American Civil War, the Confederates invented bombs disguised as pieces of coal to hide on enemy ships.

During World War One, both sides used pigeons equipped with cameras for reconnaissance. In World War Two, the Allies created maps disguised as playing cards. A pistol disguised as a tube of lipstick was invented by the KGB in 1965.  

Gadgets have always played a key role in the Bond films. In the second, From Russia With Love, 007 is given a briefcase with a concealed rifle, knife and gas bomb. Other devices have ranged from plastic explosives disguised as toothpaste and a ski jacket which turns into an escape pod.

Some have been real inventions which were far ahead of their time. The jet pack featured in Thunderball is still not in regular use nearly 60 years later.

Some say, yes: Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, was a senior officer in British naval intelligence during World War Two, and used his boss Admiral John Godfrey as the model for M. Fleming was fascinated by gadgets and even created a commando unit dedicated to hunting down new German inventions. 

Others take Richard Moore's view: "We embrace James Bond, even though we know it is not true life." According to another MI6 officer, "The idea of having some guy crash-banging his way around the world shooting people up is absolute anathema to us. Someone like that simply wouldn't get in the door."