A New Battlefield Threat: How Insurgents Are Leveraging Generative AI

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders are using consumer-grade artificial intelligence to overcome military obstacles and refine attack strategies, according to exclusive research from the University of Cambridge.

From Tactical Workarounds to Operational Advantage

When faced with deep defensive trenches that impede motorcycle access around military bases in northeastern Nigeria, ISWAP turned to AI for solutions. Former insurgents revealed that commanders used commercial models like ChatGPT and Gemini to brainstorm tactical workarounds—including how to jump trenches on motorcycles and breach fortified gates.

This represents a significant evolution in insurgent capabilities, allowing them to accelerate problem-solving at minimal cost. While security analysts previously focused on AI’s potential for propaganda and recruitment, this research exposes its growing use as a direct combat multiplier.

Institutionalizing AI Within Insurgent Groups

Both ISWAP and Boko Haram have established specialized AI units comprising 5-20 trusted operatives who undergo training in prompt engineering and bypassing safety filters. These cells generate tactical intelligence for battlefield commanders, leveraging platforms like Claude, Grok, Meta AI, and DeepSeek.

Access to these resources is tightly controlled, with central Islamic State cadres providing hardware, encrypted links, and technical instruction—effectively turning off-the-shelf software into a strategic weapon.

Implications for Regional Security

This trend presents a formidable challenge for governments across the Sahel and East Africa, particularly those contending with asymmetric insurgencies like Al-Shabaab in Somalia. The ability of non-state actors to access expert-level problem-solving capabilities at scale could fundamentally alter conflict dynamics.

As security forces adapt to new threats, insurgents are demonstrating a remarkable capacity to learn and evolve—a pattern that has enabled them to consistently overcome countermeasures deployed over the past decade.

With thousands already killed and millions displaced across the Lake Chad Basin, this latest development underscores the urgent need for security agencies to understand and counter AI’s growing role in modern conflict.