Boko Haram, other t+rrorists now use A.I to make b@mbs, plan operations to gain an edge in battle — Report

Boko Haram fighters have increasingly used artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok and DeepSeek, to improve their operations, according to a New York Times report citing a study by University of Cambridge researcher Antonia Juelich.

The study, based on interviews with former Boko Haram members, found that insurgents used AI-powered chatbots to seek technical guidance on battlefield tactics, w£apons and other operational challenges.

One former Boko Haram commander said the group turned to AI after an att@ck on a military base was stopped by a defensive trench.

“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 it gave us steps on what we have to do,” he said.

According to the report, mechanics upgraded the motorcycles for greater speed and acceleration before fighters successfully practised the manoeuvre.

Former insurgents also said AI was used to gather information on repairing w£apons and designing improvised explosive devices. One ex-commander described the technology as “like a human robot,” while another said, “Trial-and-error can k+ll you. AI gives you accuracy.”

The study found some fighters bypassed chatbot safety restrictions by disguising d@ngerous requests as legitimate projects, such as claiming the information was for a film, and compared responses from different AI platforms to identify those that revealed more information.

Responding to the findings, OpenAI said using its products for t+rrorism or v+olence violates its policies and that it continues to strengthen safeguards against misuse. Google and Anthropic also said their AI models are designed to reject d@ngerous requests while improving safety protections.

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