Boko Haram uses AI chatbots for bomb-making and attack tactics
Boko Haram members reportedly used AI chatbots to obtain technical guidance on bomb-making, weapon upgrades, and battlefield tactics including motorcycle modifications, according to research based on interviews with 27 former members. The study found that members circumvented safety protocols to access detailed instructions and reported that AI guidance improved accuracy and lethality of attacks.
What happened
According to research by terrorism and technology researcher Antonia Juelich at Cambridge University based on nearly 60 interviews with 27 former Boko Haram members in Nigeria over the past year, members of the extremist group used AI chatbots to gain tactical advantages on the battlefield.
A former Boko Haram commander told Juelich that after an assault on a military base in eastern Nigeria was frustrated by a defensive trench, the group consulted AI chatbots for guidance. They sought and received instructions on how to modify motorcycles to jump over obstacles, giving the AI information about the motorcycles used and the distance needed to jump. Mechanics then upgraded the motorcycles for greater speed and acceleration, and fighters practiced the manoeuvre repeatedly before carrying out another attack.
The study found that Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province members also used AI chatbots to seek detailed information on designing improvised explosive devices, repairing or upgrading weapons, and gathering operational information. A former Islamic State West Africa Province commander stated: "You type in the question or use your voice, and it gives you a detailed answer, like 'How can I build a bomb?,' and then it tells you how."
Reported impact
Members consistently reported benefiting from AI guidance. One member stated: "Trial-and-error can kill you. AI gives you accuracy." Another former Boko Haram member said the group relied on AI to make its explosives more destructive, with explosions becoming larger after the group studied the technology.
Index analysis
The incident highlights how generative artificial intelligence tools are increasingly aiding terrorist groups directly on the battlefield, according to current and former U.S. military and counterterrorism officials and independent researchers.
While jihadist groups previously used AI primarily for information operations such as propaganda production, translation, recruitment and security tradecraft, they have evolved to use AI for tactical on-the-ground advantages. Researchers have found that people can circumvent the built-in safety protocols of chatbots, often by slowly coaxing models into divulging information they are trained to restrict.
Governance controls
Chatbots have built-in limitations intended to prevent users from soliciting information that could cause harm to others or themselves, but researchers have repeatedly found that people can circumvent these safety protocols.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.