AI chatbots has been a dream come true for criminals.
The tech has been a boon for scammers. Hackers are using the tools to infiltrate networks and steal sensitive data. Art forgers are even generating fake invoices to certify the authenticity of dupes.
In a perhaps-inevitable escalation, chatbots are even giving a major leg up to terrorist groups. As detailed in a new paper by University of Cambridge international security expert Antonia Juelich, former Boko Haram members recounted using frontier AI model chatbots to “assist in combat and day-today operations.”
The research highlights how easy it still is to circumvent AI chatbot guardrails, making them an excellent resource not just for average users doing work tasks or planning a weekend getaway — but for bloodthirsty terrorists as well.
“It has aided in attack planning, weapons troubleshooting, and the design of explosive devices, as users have successfully circumvented some safeguards,” Juelich wrote in her paper.
Put simply, the creators of AI tech have some serious blood on their hands. And it’s not just in Nigeria; Juelich’s research also highlights how the use of AI among extremist groups, including militant organization the Islamic State, has turned from generating propaganda and recruitment materials to providing tactical advice on how to maintain an on-the-ground edge.
“Islamic State operatives have provided in-person AI training and remote assistance, and both factions of Boko Haram have set up dedicated AI units,” Juelich wrote. “Former members described strong enthusiasm for AI within the group, and some expressed openness to mass-casualty weapons, though the group’s use of AI remains conventional.”
Juelich’s research is based on 57 in-person interview with 27 former Boko Haram members, including commanders and technical specialists. Some of them were taken aback at how easy it was to plan their next attack.
“You type in the question or use your voice and it [AI] gives you a detailed answer, like ‘How can I build a bomb?’ and then it tells you how,” one member said in an interview. “It is like a human robot! We used it a lot.”
“Before, the bomb explosion was not that big, but then they studied it,” they added. “AI told us what chemicals to put in that made the explosion heavier.”
Another member recalled how young recruits easily circumvented safety guardrails by telling the chatbots that “they need it for a movie or something like that.”
AI companies have been caught in a yearslong game of cat-and-mouse, struggling to implement changes that bar users from obtaining dangerous informationor guidance. But despite their best efforts, it remains trivially easy to get around these protections. Case in point, during a recent investigation, the Financial Times and AI safety group Alice easily tricked Google and Meta AI models into divulging how to carry out chlorine gas attacks, steal credit information, and describe stories of child sexual abuse.
In other words, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the tools have turned out to be a big hit among terrorists.
“The terrorists are not waiting for us to make AI safe,” Juelich told the NYT. “They are able to use them now and train them to cause harm.”
Spokespeople for both Anthropic and Google failed to take accountability when asked for comment by the newspaper, saying only that they had strict and effective guardrails in place.
“We know that bad actors will never stop trying to misuse our tools, and we’ll continue strengthening our defenses in response,” OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri said.
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