Terrorist networks are embedding AI into everyday operations, researchers find

In a series of 2025-26 interviews with former Boko Haram operatives, Cambridge scholar Antonia Juelich learned that terrorist groups treat artificial intelligence as a general-purpose assistant, using it to streamline routine activities and overcome logistical hurdles. Fighters reported that AI improves accuracy and reduces trial-and-error risks in tasks ranging from target selection to basic explosives guidance. Hersman, a national-security analyst, highlighted that data on such misuse is scattered among intelligence services, AI companies and independent researchers, and she advocated for a secure fusion center to combine these insights.

Leading AI firms, including OpenAI and Anthropic, assert that their platforms block extremist requests and cooperate with law-enforcement, though Hersman warns that uneven safeguards leave gaps. The study urges governments and the tech industry to focus on the current, practical applications of AI by extremists rather than speculative future threats.