Skip to content
ThreadOut
Antonia Juelich@AntoniaJuelich · Jul 10, 2026

In a hotel room in northeast Nigeria, I opened a leading AI chatbot, turned my laptop toward a former Boko Haram…

9 tweets1 min read♥ 7.7Koriginal

Summary

A researcher conducted 57 interviews with 27 former Boko Haram members over 2025-26, finding that the terrorist group extensively uses frontier AI systems like ChatGPT and Claude for planning attacks, designing explosives, and operational planning. Despite safeguards, the group has systematized AI use through dedicated units and transnational knowledge transfer, raising serious concerns about potential applications in chemical and biological weapons development.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    In a hotel room in northeast Nigeria, I opened a leading AI chatbot, turned my laptop toward a former Boko Haram commander, and asked if he'd used it. He nodded. "You type in the question… like 'How can I build a bomb?', and then it tells you how. It is like a human robot. We used it a lot." My new study on how the jihadist terrorist group Boko Haram uses frontier AI with @CamAISciPolicy, covered today in @nytimes 🧵/9

  2. #2

    2/9 Over 2025–26 I conducted 57 in-person interviews with 27 former Boko Haram members about the group’s use of frontier AI from 2023 up to mid-2025. I found that Boko Haram's factions use frontier AI systems (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta AI, and DeepSeek) in combat and day-to-day operations.

  3. #3

    3/9 For context: Boko Haram is among the world's deadliest jihadist terrorist organizations; and its faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is among the Islamic State’s most active affiliates globally.

  4. #4

    4/9 AI is used at every stage of an operation, e.g. to plan attacks, design explosive devices, service and troubleshoot weapons, and improve operational security. “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.”

  5. #5

    5/9 Members consistently reported benefiting from using AI. “Trial-and-error can kill you. AI gives you accuracy.” "Anytime they didn't understand something, they would ask the AI."

  6. #6

    6/9 AI training & knowledge are diffusing through transnational jihadist networks. Since 2023, ISIS-linked operatives trained selected commanders in person, teaching them how to prompt and jailbreak. Both factions of Boko Haram have since set up dedicated AI units. They “assembled the top people in a room and used a projector to show how it works on a big screen."

  7. #7

    7/9 The AI systems’ safeguards have not consistently prevented misuse. With accounts across providers, a single refusal or suspension rarely mattered. "Boys that have received extensive training bypass the restrictions. They say they need it for a movie."

  8. #8

    8/9 Former members described strong enthusiasm for AI, and some said the group had previously considered mass-casualty weapons. Though Boko Haram’s use of AI remains conventional, this should be a warning to take seriously the risk of terrorists pursuing AI assistance for chemical and biological weapons.

  9. #9

    9/9 As one commander put it, "God has helped us, and so will AI." Full report, short summary and key excerpts: casp.ac/reports/ai-ena… NYT story: nytimes.com/2026/07/10/us/…