Teen radicals on the rise: How AI fuels rapid extremism
Several dozen teenagers suspected of planning attacks have been arrested in Europe. The radicalisation of young people now takes just a few weeks, with artificial intelligence playing a key role in this process.
What do you need to know?
- In recent months, several dozen teenagers suspected of planning attacks have been arrested in Europe.
- Artificial intelligence accelerates the radicalisation process. It facilitates the swift dissemination of extremist propaganda, making young people more susceptible to its influence.
- Social media plays a crucial role in radicalisation. Young extremists often draw inspiration from content available online.
How does artificial intelligence affect the radicalisation of youth?
Experts assert that today, terrorist groups do not need to give direct orders. Instead, they inundate social media with propaganda that inspires young people to carry out attacks, according to the "WSJ." Almost all young extremists are radicalised via social media, which makes it difficult for authorities to detect them.
The rapid increase in the number of teenage extremists is attributed to a combination of factors. These include the unprecedentedly fast spread of propaganda, further accelerated by AI, the influence of social media popular among young people, algorithms that are increasingly effective at holding user attention, and events such as the war in the Gaza Strip, which has become a defining event for a generation gaining political consciousness.
Why are young people susceptible to extremism?
As noted by Peter Neumann, a professor of security studies at King's College London, within eight months of the war in the Gaza Strip starting, teenagers made up two-thirds of the 60 Islamic extremists arrested on terrorism charges in Europe.
However, the young far-right also poses a growing threat, as highlighted by the "WSJ." A year ago, Austrian police arrested a 14-year-old girl planning an "attack on infidels." In January, Belgian police arrested a 14-year-old boy with neo-Nazi views on charges of planning an attack on a mosque.
Thomas Renard, director of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, pointed out that what is particularly new is the number of young and very young individuals directly involved in planning violent attacks. He emphasised that while Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan were previously the main exporters of jihadist ideology, today the United States has become one of the main exporters of extreme right-wing ideology.
AI as a "charismatic recruiter"
The "WSJ" highlights that online ideology is fluid: young white supremacists may admire the doctrine of the Islamic State, and young jihadists might borrow the language and aesthetics of the far-right. An FBI spokesperson noted that the online environment offers terrorists numerous opportunities to target young people, often through seemingly harmless platforms such as social media apps or gaming services.
Julia Ebner, an expert on online radicalisation at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in Oxford, emphasized that AI-generated films and images have the power to tap into deep emotions and fundamental aspects of human nature. In her view, AI and increasingly sophisticated algorithms "do the work of a charismatic recruiter, only a hundred times better."
