UN officials warn that terrorist groups are adapting rapidly to AI, drones and other emerging technologies 25 years after the September 11 attacks.
The UN Security Council marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Friday with warnings that terrorist groups are adapting rapidly to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones and encrypted digital platforms.
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Eihab Omaish, officer-in-charge of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said the threat had become “more diffuse, more decentralized and increasingly enabled by new technologies” despite the loss of terrorist leaders and territory and stronger international cooperation.
The Council also adopted a presidential statement on terrorism, its first in five years, addressing the evolution of terrorist threats and their use of new technologies.
French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont, whose country holds the Council presidency this month, said Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates continue to conduct cross-border attacks while exploiting technological advances.
Terrorists are “hijacking new technologies”, Bonnafont said, while using increasingly sophisticated propaganda methods, attracting younger recruits and harnessing new financing technologies. He called for the Council to reclaim the leadership role it assumed after the September 11 attacks and develop more effective systems to counter terrorists’ use of emerging technologies.
Christina Markus Lassen of Denmark said terrorist groups had adapted faster than many institutions, citing online recruitment, cryptocurrency financing, drone use and AI exploitation.
“If they can adapt this quickly, so must we,” she said, calling for sanctions mechanisms to reflect current terrorist leadership and stressing the need to move from commitments to implementation.
AI emerges as a central concern
Naureen Chowdhury Fink, executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, said emerging technologies were no longer simply an important tool for terrorists but had become central to their activities.
“Emerging technologies are no longer a key tool for terrorists; they are the key tool,” she said, warning that advances in AI could intensify the trend.
Fink also stressed that AI could strengthen counter-terrorism efforts by giving defenders access to resources that were previously unavailable. She called for a “whole-of-society approach” and said human rights and security were mutually reinforcing goals.
Omaish said the experience of the past 25 years showed that prevention must complement security measures, while international cooperation and inclusive partnerships remain essential. Counter-terrorism efforts must also uphold international law, he said.
“Despite progress, they are not grounds for complacency,” Omaish warned.
Call for agreement on definition of terrorism
Victoria Lieta Liolocha of the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted the experience of Africa, citing continued attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces, including killings, kidnappings, violence against women and children, and forced displacement.
She said collective action required agreement on what the international community was fighting, noting that there was still no universally accepted definition of terrorism.
She called for continued efforts to reach a consensus that would allow terrorism to be confronted firmly and without ambiguity while respecting international law.
The meeting began with a minute of silence in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.