Al-Azhar Observatory Warns of Daesh’s Use of AI for Recruitment
It warned that this multiplies the challenges facing those concerned about combating extremism.
Recently, the British newspaper Daily Telegraph revealed that Daesh has used artificial intelligence technology as a recruitment tool in the UK for the first time, an issue that has raisead serious concerns among the country’s intelligence agencies.
According to the report, the British domestic security service MI5 and the foreign intelligence service MI6 are specifically monitoring Daesh’s use of AI in spreading propaganda and recruiting operations, as it is feared that Daesh and al-Qaeda are regaining their strength in West Asia and the Horn of Africa.
The Al-Azhar Observatory for Countering Extremism expressed concern over the report, saying that Daesh has begun using AI technology for the first time to recruit new members in the UK and incite attacks, alongside calls to join the conflict zones in Syria.
The center stressed that this development marks a dangerous turning point in the digital propaganda methods of extremist organizations and reflects their ongoing efforts to exploit technological advances to expand their destructive capabilities.
The Al-Azhar Observatory added that the ability of terrorist organizations and extremist groups to use artificial intelligence to simultaneously translate into dozens of languages and disseminate propaganda content at unprecedented speed, recycling their narratives on social media platforms before they are detected and removed, represents a qualitative shift in recruitment tools and multiplies the challenges facing those concerned with countering extremism and policing content.
The center called for greater cooperation between international institutions in tracking digital terrorist content, implementing advanced technical censorship on open platforms, and strengthening anti-AI tools that can detect propaganda patterns before they are published.
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It concluded by recalling that it had dedicated issue 13 of its magazine, “A Step Forward,” to an article that addresses artificial intelligence, its relationship with extremism, the use of artificial intelligence by extremist groups, its impact on social values, and how artificial intelligence can be used to combat extremism. The article is available in the center’s dedicated publications section on Al-Azhar’s electronic portal.
The Daily Telegraph also reported that in addition to trying to incite and direct attacks in Europe, Daesh has launched a new campaign to recruit foreign fighters to Syria. At the height of Daesh’s power, more than 30,000 foreign fighters – including 900 British citizens – traveled to West Asia. Many of them were killed, and a large number of returnees were prosecuted.
There are fears that a new generation of young Britons are being recruited by Daesh, using new technology and social media.
Last week, an 18-year-old from south London was arrested at Gatwick Airport while trying to board a flight to Istanbul and was charged with planning to join Daesh in Syria.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Daesh activity in Syria has increased in recent months, with small cells of the group carrying out guerrilla attacks against government forces and the “Syrian Democratic Forces”.
At the same time, Daesh is using artificial intelligence technology alongside social media to deliver its messages to a global audience at an unprecedented speed. With the help of AI, documents and Arabic content – including Daesh’s weekly editorials – are translated into dozens of languages and then published on platforms such as Facebook, where they reach a wide audience before being deleted.
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