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The British Telegraph newspaper revealed that the terrorist organization "ISIS" has used artificial intelligence for the first time in recruitment campaigns targeting Britons, raising concerns for the British domestic intelligence agency MI5 and the foreign secret service agency MI6.

According to the report, the organization relies on AI tools to create sophisticated promotional videos in English depicting virtual fighters urging people to join jihad in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.

The British report clarified that these videos, published by the terrorist organization, spread rapidly on "Facebook" and other platforms before being removed, allowing them to reach thousands of viewers within hours.

The report followed a warning from MI5 Director Ken McCallum in his annual report last month that "ISIS" and "Al-Qaeda" are becoming increasingly ambitious, exploiting regional unrest to direct terrorist attacks towards Britain and Europe.

Intelligence report warns of "ISIS" and "Al-Qaeda"

McCallum stated: "Groups abroad continue their attempts to direct terrorism towards the UK and Europe, and the ambitions of Al-Qaeda and ISIS are rising again, exploiting instability abroad to establish a foothold and indirectly inciting potential attackers in the West."

The report noted that this usage comes amid fears of the resurgence of "ISIS" and "Al-Qaeda" in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, where 19 advanced attack attempts have been recorded since 2020, most of which are linked to extremism.

Significant increase in threat investigations

At the same time, the domestic intelligence agency announced a 40% increase in investigations into terrorist threats this year, focusing on isolated individuals receiving guidance online.

In recent years, there has been a gradual resurgence of "ISIS" and "Al-Qaeda" activity following their military defeat in 2019, as they exploited the vacuum in Syria, Iraq, and Somalia to rebuild their propaganda networks.

In MI5's annual report for 2025, McCallum confirmed that the terrorist threat includes 232 arrests in 2024, most of which are of individuals influenced by the organizations' online propaganda.

A new chapter in targeting Britons

The use of artificial intelligence in terrorist propaganda began in 2023, as Al-Qaeda produced AI-generated videos, and ISIS worked on opening new pages specifically targeting Britons.

UN reports in 2024 indicated that both organizations rely on social media to recruit 5,000 fighters annually, most of whom are young people under 25 years old.

In Britain, MI5 recorded a 25% increase in investigations this year, focusing on artificial intelligence as a dual weapon also used by countries like Iran and Russia for espionage.