A report by The New York Times has alleged that Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) used artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek, to improve their operational capabilities.
The report, which cited research by Antonia Juelich of the University of Cambridge, said former insurgents disclosed that the groups relied on AI-powered chatbots to address tactical challenges encountered during attacks.
According to the report, a former Boko Haram commander said the group turned to AI after an attack on a military base was unsuccessful because of a defensive trench.
The former commander reportedly said the group asked AI tools how to modify motorcycles to jump over the obstacle by providing details of the type of motorcycles used and the distance they needed to cover.
The report stated that the AI-generated response provided step-by-step guidance, enabling the group’s mechanics to improve the motorcycles’ speed and acceleration before fighters practised the manoeuvre.
“We saw in a movie how motorcycles can jump over bridges. We used AI to learn how to do this,” the former commander was quoted as saying.
Another former ISWAP commander reportedly told the researcher that AI chatbots were also used to seek information on making explosive devices.
The report quoted the former commander as saying the chatbots generated detailed responses to questions and were frequently used because they provided what members considered accurate information.
It further claimed that some insurgents believed AI reduced the risks associated with trial-and-error methods, while another fighter alleged that AI-generated guidance helped the group alter chemical compositions to produce more powerful explosive devices.
Reacting to the findings, OpenAI said using its technology to facilitate terrorism or other harmful activities violates its usage policies.
Google and Anthropic also said their AI models are designed to refuse requests related to weapons, explosives and other dangerous activities.
However, according to the report, former insurgents claimed they were sometimes able to bypass chatbot safety measures by disguising harmful requests as educational or legitimate projects.
The report has renewed concerns among security experts over the potential misuse of rapidly advancing AI technologies by criminal and extremist groups despite built-in safety safeguards.
