Militant groups are experimenting with AI, and the risks are expected to grow

As the world embraces artificial intelligence, terrorist organizations are actively exploring how to weaponize the technology, despite their nascent understanding of its full potential.

For extremist groups, AI represents a formidable tool for recruitment, creating convincing deepfakes, and enhancing cyberattacks, according to national security experts and intelligence agencies.

Last month, a user on a pro-Islamic State website encouraged fellow supporters to incorporate AI into their operations, noting, “One of the best things about AI is how easy it is to use.” The post continued ominously: “Some intelligence agencies worry that AI will contribute to recruiting. So make their nightmares into reality.”

Islamic State, once a territorial power in Iraq and Syria but now operating as a decentralized network of militant factions sharing an extremist ideology, recognized social media’s recruitment potential years ago. Their current experimentation with AI follows this pattern of adopting new technologies to amplify their message.

“For any adversary, AI really makes it much easier to do things,” explained John Laliberte, former National Security Agency vulnerability researcher and current CEO of cybersecurity firm ClearVector. “With AI, even a small group that doesn’t have a lot of money is still able to make an impact.”

This democratization of advanced technology means resource-limited extremist organizations—or even lone actors with internet access—can generate propaganda and deepfakes at an unprecedented scale, significantly extending their reach and influence.

Militant groups began experimenting with AI immediately following the public release of programs like ChatGPT. Since then, they’ve increasingly utilized generative AI to create convincing fake photos and videos that, when amplified by social media algorithms, can recruit new followers, sow confusion, and disseminate propaganda with unprecedented efficiency.

Two years ago, such groups circulated fabricated images from the Israel-Hamas conflict showing abandoned, bloodied infants amid bombed buildings. These images fueled outrage and polarization while distracting from actual war atrocities. Both Middle Eastern violent organizations and antisemitic groups worldwide used these images for recruitment purposes.

A similar pattern emerged following an Islamic State-affiliated attack that killed nearly 140 people at a Russian concert venue last year. In the aftermath, AI-generated propaganda videos spread widely across online forums and social media platforms, aiming to attract new recruits.

According to researchers at SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist activities, Islamic State has created deepfake audio recordings of its leaders reciting scripture and employed AI to rapidly translate messages into multiple languages.

Marcus Fowler, a former CIA agent who now serves as CEO at Darktrace Federal, a cybersecurity firm working with the federal government, notes that these groups still lag behind nation-states like China, Russia, and Iran in AI sophistication. They continue to view more advanced AI applications as “aspirational.” However, he warns that the risks will likely intensify as powerful, affordable AI becomes more widely available.

Hackers already employ synthetic audio and video in phishing campaigns, impersonating senior business or government officials to access sensitive networks. They also use AI to write malicious code and automate aspects of cyberattacks.

More alarming is the possibility that militant groups might leverage AI to compensate for technical expertise gaps in developing biological or chemical weapons—a risk highlighted in the Department of Homeland Security’s updated Homeland Threat Assessment released earlier this year.

“ISIS got on Twitter early and found ways to use social media to their advantage,” Fowler observed. “They are always looking for the next thing to add to their arsenal.”

In response to these emerging threats, U.S. lawmakers have proposed various measures. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, advocates making it easier for AI developers to share information about how malicious actors—whether extremists, criminal hackers, or foreign spies—are using their products.

“It has been obvious since late 2022, with the public release of ChatGPT, that the same fascination and experimentation with generative AI the public has had would also apply to a range of malign actors,” Warner stated.

During a recent hearing on extremist threats, House lawmakers learned that Islamic State and al-Qaida have conducted training workshops to help supporters utilize AI. Legislation passed by the U.S. House last month would require homeland security officials to conduct annual assessments of AI risks posed by such groups.

Representative August Pfluger, a Texas Republican who sponsored the bill, emphasized that preparing for AI misuse follows the same principles as preparing for conventional attacks. “Our policies and capabilities must keep pace with the threats of tomorrow,” he said.