Based on interviews conducted in 2025 and 2026 with former Boko Haram members, Antonia Juelich presents one of the first in-depth and field-based studies documenting how an active terrorist organization has adopted frontier artificial intelligence (AI). In “God Has Helped Us, and So Will AI: How the Terrorist Group Boko Haram Uses Frontier AI,” Juelich argues that AI is evolving beyond its previously recognized role in propaganda into an organizational capability. With the shift from theoretical concern to documented operational use, the report discusses important implications for AI governance, counterterrorism, and national security.
Juelich observes that both factions of Boko Haram – the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (JAS) – use multiple commercially developed frontier AI models, including ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta AI, and DeepSeek. AI tools are being used for attack planning, weapons troubleshooting, explosive-device design, logistics, and operational security. Interviewees report using techniques such as jailbreaking, deceptive prompting, and multiple accounts to circumvent AI safeguards.
With lower barriers to adoption and growing enthusiasm for the performance and capabilities of AI’s large language models (LLMs), use has expanded beyond propaganda. Interviews with former Boko Haram members confirmed that leadership “places significant value” on AI and has institutionalized its use through dedicated teams, restricted access, and organizational investments. Network leaders restrict AI to only trusted, trained operators and limit access to certain ranks to retain oversight. AI research and development are also considered important success factors for terrorist innovation. External AI support, trainers from other countries, and operatives enable skill development, knowledge transfer, and training. AI research and development are also considered important success factors for terrorist innovation.
According to Juelich, Boko Haram members consider AI a problem-solving tool to improve the speed and accuracy of planning. She maintains that the group’s enthusiasm for AI, combined with an openness to mass-casualty weapons, highlights the need for greater attention from policymakers and AI developers. Juelich’s report is an in-depth analysis of terrorists’ use of frontier AI to date. It emphasizes that AI capabilities may only provide an uplift for terrorist groups’ attack planning and troubleshooting today. She acknowledges the limitations of the research and calls for continued research and greater collaboration among governments, intelligence services, and AI developers to address the threat posed by AI-enabled terrorist activities.
In a related Discourse in Small Wars Journal, “AI Use in Terrorist Plots and Attacks Surges in 2025,” research indicates that terrorists are expanding their use of commercial large language models (LLMs) beyond producing propaganda. AI is also being used as a tool for operational planning. In their original Militant Wire article, later republished by Small Wars Journal, Broekaert and Webber examine documented terrorist plots involving commercially available AI tools, which increased significantly during 2025. According to the articles, AI was used to accelerate learning, research, and planning; visualize scenarios; and provide step-by-step, interactive guidance.
Key Takeaway
Taken together, these articles suggest that AI capabilities are being integrated into terrorist groups’ operating models, automating operational planning, organizational adaptation, and decision-making. Although questions remain regarding the extent of AI-enabled capabilities, the findings highlight an emerging security challenge for counterterrorism and AI governance.
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