For many years, terrorist and extremist groups have used the internet to spread their messages. PST regularly warns that digital platforms are the most important place for radicalisation. Much of this propaganda is images, videos and memes. Before, terrorist organizations had to get help from people who could draw or use editing programs. Now artificial intelligence (AI) can create propaganda in seconds. – AI has increased productivity for many, including terrorists and violent extremists, says Saqeb Mueen, communications manager at Tech Against Terror. Terrorists like Anders Breivik, for example, could have carried out what they planned more easily. – He could have written his 1,500-page manifesto much faster. His strange, extreme world view could have reached out more easily and more widely, says terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp. From the screen to the street Tech Against Terror last year found over 5,000 examples of terrorist and extremist content created with AI, from various parts of the world, including from Norway and the Nordic countries. This year, the scope is even bigger and the content more creative, as the AI tools have improved. – We have seen chat boxes that use Hitler as a persona and ideology, says Mueen. Because AI tools are easy to use, propaganda can be created and spread online the same day major events happen. – It stirs up emotions and can lead to violence in the streets, says Mueen. The events in Southport at the end of July are an example of this. First, a man killed three children and injured eight. Then rumors began to spread that the man was a boat refugee. On the same day, AI-generated images were published on several platforms. One of the most shared images showed bearded men in traditional Muslim clothing. They were holding a knife and standing behind crying children in T-shirts with the British flag. The picture was followed by the phrase “We must protect our children”. The next day there were violent protests against British Muslims and other minorities. The violence spread across the country, with attacks on asylum seekers, police officers, mosques and hotels. Channels on Telegram also called for the assassination of the UK Prime Minister and for attacks on government property. – The AI propaganda really fueled the violence, says Mueen. SWIPE TO THE RIGHT This photo series was first published on an anti-immigrant account on X. According to Mueen, these are some of the groups that publish the most AI propaganda: Neo-Nazi organizationsExtremist nationalist, racist and anti-Semitic movements. The Nordic Resistance Movement (DNM) is an example of such organisations. IS and Al-Qaida IS and Al-Qaida are not the same. They have different ideologies, but both are jihadist organizations that believe that the Muslim world is under attack from an aggressive Christian-Jewish civilization. the conflict in Palestine/Israel. Using memes and symbols In much of the terrorist propaganda that news has found, we can read comments such as: “We make propaganda for fun. Come with us, it’s fun.” Ranstorp says that there are several goals the terrorist groups want to achieve with their propaganda. – They want to frighten and polarise, but also justify their ideology and recruit new people, he says. Typical content from neo-Nazi groups are images mocking Black Lives Matter protesters and calling for their killing. They also use the Pepe the Frog meme, which has become a far-right symbol, to create images promoting Nazism. Pepe the Frog, who was at first an innocent cartoon character spreading joy, has become a far-right symbol. According to Sqeb Mueen, such content often first appears on the dark web or in messaging services such as Telegram, before it is spread to social media. It is difficult to say with certainty who is behind it. – We have a warning system and a database of symbols. When someone spreads certain content, we look at the terminology used. We cannot determine how many accounts a group has, because we do not know whether it is the group’s own members or support groups that have created the content. But sometimes it is clear, says Mueen. For example, the AlQassam high school has both official channels and support channels on Telegram. Both share the same content because they copy from each other. IS has an AI-generated spokesperson news’s observation of AlQassam propaganda shows that they often mix AI-generated images with photoshop editing. That’s because AI is not good at illustrating perfect text on images, and Hamas needs Koranic verses and well-formulated war messages in its images. The images below were first shared on Al-Qassam’s official Telegram channel. These convey that Al-Qassam aims to wipe out the Israeli soldiers in Gaza: The Arabic text is a verse from the Koran. It can be translated as: “God filled their hearts with fear; some killed you, and others captured you” The text in Arabic can be translated as “The sands of Gaza will swallow you, the scum of the nations” IS and Al Qaeda use similar methods to Al-Qassam in their AI images, but they are also concerned with audio and video. An IS supporter, according to a report from Tech against terror, has written that he used an AI tool to transcribe a statement from the IS leadership, from Arabic speech into Indonesian and English writing. IS also had an AI-generated spokesperson created. Four days after they attacked a music concert in Russia in March, the terrorist organization shared a 92-second video on one of its platforms. The video shows a KI spokesperson in a helmet and military clothing and says that “the attack was part of the war between IS and the countries fighting Islam”, according to the Washington Post. Screenshot from a TV report on the Arab TV channel Al Arabiya. This is shown by IS’s AI-generated spokesperson. AI can fight terror The threats that artificial intelligence poses to the security of the world and Norway are many. It will not only be noticed on the internet, according to terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp. – We are already seeing drones used for terror. Soon we will also see bombs placed in self-driving cars. The terrorists have got a new tool, and they are creative, he says. Nevertheless, neither he nor Saqeb Mueen is very concerned about the terrorist propaganda. Both believe that it is still in its infancy, and that it is possible to combat it. – I am optimistic as long as the right steps are taken. I hope and believe that the authorities follow and continue to support people like us in flying terrorist propaganda, says Mueen. Ranstorp believes that AI, as much as it can become a tool for terror, can also become a force in the fight against terror. – Most people don’t know what a wonderful world AI is. It can be used to map and track terrorist activity. – The terrorists have got a new tool, but so have the authorities, says Ranstorp. Published 21.08.2024, at 12.15
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This is how terrorist and extremist groups use artificial intelligence to influence you – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
