Boko Haram now using AI to make bombs, plan attacks

Boko Haram fighters have increasingly turned to artificial intelligence tools and action movies to sharpen their operational capabilities, using AI-powered chatbots to seek guidance on battlefield tactics, weapons maintenance and other military-related challenges, according to a report published by The New York Times on Friday.

Former insurgents, the report noted, used multiple AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek.

According to the report, former Boko Haram commanders told terrorism and technology researcher, Antonia Juelich of the University of Cambridge, that after an assault on a military base was frustrated by a defensive trench, the group consulted AI tools for ideas.

That was when they learned how to modify motorcycles to jump over such obstacles.

Their mechanics altered motorcycles for speed and acceleration, and fighters practised manoeuvres before operations.

One of the former Boko Haram commanders told Juelich: “We saw in a movie how motorcycles can jump over bridges.

We used AI to learn how to do this. We gave it information, like what motorcycles we use and the distance we need to jump and so on.

“And it gave us steps on what we have to do.”

Another terrorist, a former commander in Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, told Juelich, “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.

“It is like a human robot! We used it a lot.”

“Trial-and-error can kill you. AI gives you accuracy,” one member said.

“Before, the bomb explosion was not that big, but then they studied it.

“AI told us what chemicals to put in that made the explosion heavier,” he said.

Reacting to the findings, OpenAI told The New York Times that the terrorists violated its policies with such actions.

On their part, Google and Anthropic said their AI models contain protections designed to refuse dangerous requests.

However, the study found that some experienced insurgents claimed they were able to circumvent chatbot safeguards by disguising harmful requests as legitimate activities, such as film production or academic projects.

Researchers also reported that the fighters often compared responses from multiple AI platforms to identify those that disclosed more useful information.

While experts cautioned that artificial intelligence is unlikely to fundamentally reshape terrorism in the immediate future, they warned that the technology could enhance the capabilities of lower-level operatives and accelerate the spread of technical knowledge within extremist networks.

Boko Haram now using AI to make bombs, plan attacks

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