Tom O'Connor
With artificial intelligence increasingly becoming a part of the everyday lives of Americans, so too are malicious actors seeking to exploit emerging AI technologies and applications in order to pursue harmful, even deadly agendas.
Among them is the Islamic State (ISIS), the militant group known for its tech-savvy online presence that has helped it recruit and maintain a global following despite battlefield losses. Such tactics have proven capable in the past of outpacing efforts by governments and companies to counter them, a risk compounded by the novel nature of recent AI breakthroughs.
Now, experts warn that AI in the hands of ISIS marks a new turning point at a time when the group and its acolytes are looking to mount an international comeback bolstered by cutting-edge developments in the digital realm.
From creating fake news anchors to sourcing supplies for new operations—and future threats not far in the horizon—"we've moved from the hypothetical into reality on the use of AI by extremist groups," Samuel Hunter, senior scientist and academic research director at the University of Omaha's National Counterterrorism Innovation Technology and Education Center of Excellence, told Newsweek.
As with the average user, ISIS appears to thus far largely be using AI to enhance the execution of traditional tasks. The most frequent form of this is the use of generative AI, or GenAI, to create and spread content at rapid speeds and through more enticing means.
"As of now, the most common use cases by extremists such as the Islamic State have been propaganda development," Hunter said. "The Islamic State has historically been fairly adept and sophisticated on the digital front and it is not surprising to see them pioneering work with GenAI."
He calls the group's movement into video applications of this technology "novel and concerning."
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