Boko Haram and ISIL affiliates use AI chatbots to build bombs and plan attacks. Cambridge researchers interviewed 27 former members about this practice. Fighters received AI training from ISIL in dedicated sessions with laptops and projectors. Both factions set up AI units staffed by engineers and bomb-makers. Bomb-makers consult chatbots to solve problems while assembling devices. AI helps repurpose explosives from unexploded military ordnance. Fighters also use AI to adapt drones for dropping bombs. Commanders upload battlefield images to chatbots for real-time analysis. AI is consulted for operating unfamiliar weapons and overcoming obstacles. Fighters ask AI why attacks failed and how to improve tactics. Pro-ISIL forums share methods to bypass AI safety controls. Researchers warn AI is advancing faster than safeguards. Major AI companies say they block dangerous requests.
What it unlocks
Boko Haram and ISIL affiliates now use AI chatbots for bomb-making, attack planning, and real-time combat problem-solving.
- 27 former Boko Haram members interviewed
- 23-person AI unit in JAS
- 40 people killed in one unexploded bomb incident
- 60 fighters lost in one operation
Sources