Details of how members of the Boko Haram insurgent group are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve their operational capabilities, including planning attacks, developing weapons and refining battlefield strategies have emerged.
According to a report published by The New York Times on Friday, the insurgents have been using AI-powered chatbots to obtain technical information on military tactics, explosives and other operational needs.
The newspaper cited a study by Antonia Juelich, a terrorism and technology researcher at the University of Cambridge, which examined how extremist groups in Nigeria are incorporating AI into their activities.
The findings were based on interviews conducted over the past year with former Boko Haram members.
The study found that after a failed assault on a military facility due to the presence of a defensive trench, some insurgents turned to AI for advice on modifying motorcycles to overcome such barriers during future attacks.
“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,” a former Boko Haram commander told Juelich.
The report said mechanics subsequently upgraded the motorcycles to improve their speed and acceleration, while the fighters repeatedly rehearsed the manoeuvre before launching another operation.
Beyond mobility tactics, the research indicated that AI chatbots were also used to obtain information on constructing improvised explosive devices, repairing and upgrading weapons, and gathering operational intelligence.
“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,” a former commander in Islamic State West Africa Province told Juelich last year.
The study suggested that many insurgents viewed AI as a valuable resource because it reduced the risks associated with learning through experimentation.
“Trial-and-error can kill you. AI gives you accuracy,” one member told the researcher.
Another former Boko Haram member said AI also helped the group improve the destructive capacity of its explosives.
“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.
The research further found that some commanders regarded AI as an increasingly significant asset in their operations.
“God has helped us, and so will AI,” one commander told the researcher.
According to The New York Times, the findings indicate that extremist organisations are expanding their use of generative AI beyond propaganda, recruitment and translation to include operational planning and battlefield support.
Former insurgents interviewed for the study said they experimented with several AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek.
The report also referenced recent studies warning that terrorist groups are increasingly exploring AI for reconnaissance, communications, coding, intelligence gathering and other operational purposes, despite safeguards embedded in many AI systems.
While reacting to the findings, OpenAI said the use of its products to facilitate terrorism or violence violates its policies and that it continues to strengthen measures aimed at preventing misuse.
Google and Anthropic also maintained that their AI models are designed to reject dangerous requests, adding that they are continually improving their safety protections.
However, the study noted that some former insurgents claimed experienced users were sometimes able to bypass chatbot safeguards by disguising harmful requests as legitimate activities, such as research for film projects.
Researchers also found that the group tested multiple AI platforms to compare their responses and identify systems that provided more detailed information.
Although analysts believe AI is unlikely to fundamentally reshape terrorism in the immediate future, they warned that the technology could enhance the effectiveness of less experienced operatives and accelerate the spread of technical expertise within extremist organisations.
