Artificial intelligence has not yet fundamentally changed the nature of terrorism, but it expands its tools and capabilities.
According to Atlas Diplomacy, an article titled “AI Terrorism; The Reproduction of Terrorism in a New Form,” written by Ian Bogost and published in The Atlantic, examines the history of concerns about emerging technologies and their terrorist applications. It argues that, at least under current conditions, artificial intelligence has not fundamentally transformed the nature of terrorism and, rather than creating an entirely new phenomenon, expands existing tools. The following is a summary of the article.
As the internet expanded during the War on Terror, concerns about digital attacks led to the emergence of the concept of “cyberterrorism.” Now, with the development of artificial intelligence, similar concerns have arisen about the emergence of a new type of threat. These threats may range from producing propaganda and manipulating information to cyberattacks and the use of automated systems. However, the emergence of a new technology does not necessarily mean that the nature of terrorism has fundamentally changed. To accurately assess the risks of artificial intelligence, it is necessary to distinguish between changes in the tools and changes in the nature of the phenomenon those tools serve.
In recent years, governments, international organizations, and think tanks have repeatedly warned about the possibility of terrorist groups exploiting artificial intelligence. The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, in cooperation with relevant institutions, has examined the malicious use of artificial intelligence for terrorist purposes. These assessments have identified a broad range of threats, from malware and intrusions into computer infrastructure to autonomous vehicles, deception of facial recognition systems, deepfakes, and the potential production of dangerous biological agents. Furthermore, previous research on language models has shown that these technologies can be used to disseminate extremist propaganda and facilitate recruitment and radicalization.
The persistence of these concerns has led some researchers to examine the possibility of a major terrorist attack aided by artificial intelligence as a serious scenario. Such scenarios underscore the need for security institutions and policymakers to be prepared, but predicting a potential threat is different from establishing that it is imminent. The expansion of technical capabilities does not, in itself, demonstrate that terrorist groups have managed to use these capabilities effectively, sustainably, and on a large scale. Therefore, threat analysis must distinguish between a technology’s potential capabilities, its practical applications, and its actual consequences.
One of the main challenges in this area is the absence of a single, fixed definition of terrorism. The concept has evolved across different historical periods. During the French Revolution, terrorism referred to the violence exercised by the Jacobin government, which in some cases involved executions by guillotine. In the late nineteenth century, the term was increasingly applied to violence perpetrated by non-state groups, including anarchist revolutionaries. In the twentieth century, the concept also came to overlap with independence movements, separatism, and guerrilla warfare.
By the late twentieth century, ideological motivation and the aim of creating a psychological impact had become important components of the definition of terrorism. Accordingly, terrorism is not limited merely to the use of a particular tool or attacks on technical infrastructure; rather, it depends on the type of violence, its motivations, and the impact it has on society and political behavior. For this reason, not every cyberattack or malicious use of artificial intelligence can automatically be classified as terrorism. Cyberattacks may be carried out by states or conducted without resorting to violence and for different purposes.
Consequently, artificial intelligence should be assessed within the framework of the evolution of tools used for terrorist purposes, rather than necessarily as a phenomenon that has fundamentally changed the definition and logic of terrorism. This technology may facilitate the dissemination of propaganda, the fabrication of information, or the execution of certain operations, but the security significance of each application depends on its purpose, context, and consequences. Effective policymaking requires an accurate understanding of actual threats, avoiding the exaggeration of unproven capabilities, and maintaining a distinction between technological innovation and fundamental changes in political violence./ Source
