Cambridge Study: Boko Haram Fighters Used Big Tech AI to Build Bombs and Plan Attacks

Fighters from Boko Haram's two factions used artificial intelligence chatbots from major technology companies to help build more powerful bombs, plan attacks and solve problems during combat, according to research from the University of Cambridge.

Researchers interviewed 27 former members of the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihad (JAS). Several described routinely using OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, Google's Gemini, Elon Musk's Grok, Meta AI and China's DeepSeek for technical and military advice before, during and after attacks.

One former ISWAP commander told researchers, "There is nothing we haven't received an answer on." Another former Boko Haram commander said: "[Ask] how can I build a bomb?' and then it tells you how. It is like a human robot. We used it a lot."

According to the Cambridge research, operatives travelled to ISWAP-controlled territory to teach senior members how to use AI. Fighters were assembled in rooms around laptops and projectors and shown how to query chatbots and circumvent safeguards. Trainers supplied laptops with privacy and encryption tools, and accounts and paid subscriptions to multiple AI platforms were set up for members.

Both ISWAP and JAS established dedicated AI units staffed by engineers, weapons specialists and bomb-makers. One former JAS commander described a specialised unit of 23 people working from a solar-powered room.

Antonia Juelich, who authored the study, said roughly 10 of the 27 interviewees discussed AI in relation to explosives, including attempts to make bombs more powerful and recover explosive material from military ordnance. She said AI could respond to specific problems fighters faced, acting like a technical expert available around the clock.

Former members also described AI reaching into almost every stage of combat. In one account, a commander uploaded images from a fighter's chest camera to ChatGPT to analyse a situation and relay instructions. In another, commanders asked an AI specialist how to operate newly acquired firearms; his response was: "Just ask Grok."

Separately, researchers at Tech Against Terrorism infiltrated a pro-ISIL technical forum where supporters instructed one another on how to use AI and circumvent its safety restrictions. One supporter compared it to "removing the speed limiter of the car." Lucas Webber of Tech Against Terrorism said, "This is the tip of the iceberg."

Major AI companies say they have safeguards against such misuse. OpenAI prohibits its systems from being used for terrorism, violence and weapons development, while Anthropic and Meta say they use classifiers and other safeguards to block dangerous requests. xAI also prohibits attempts to circumvent its safeguards.

The Cambridge interviews largely describe AI use during 2023 and 2024. Juelich said she was concerned about what the same fighters might now be capable of achieving with more advanced AI systems available in 2026. "I worry about where this is heading," she said.

Source: Al Jazeera