Artificial intelligence may not create a new kind of terrorism, but it makes existing tactics cheaper, faster and easier. That is the central argument of a July 2026 report from the U.S.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

It is a convincing argument, but it leaves one question unanswered: Are different terrorist groups thinking about the technology in the same way?

As a terrorism expert who studies how militant groups think and adapt, I have analyzed propaganda, guides and strategic writings from the two most influential jihadi movements of the 21st century – al-Qaida and the Islamic State group – to observe how they interpret and adopt new technologies, such as AI. I also examined documented uses of AI by their affiliates, media outlets and supporters.

I found that affiliates, media outlets and supporters across both movements use AI for propaganda, recruitment, security and planning. But al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked networks approach AI in ways that reflect how each movement fights. Al-Qaida is more deliberate and thinks in decades. The Islamic State moves quickly and seeks immediate effect.

In short, each group’s approach reflects its organizational culture and reveals a different view of time and war. The Islamic State built its project around a caliphate to hold and display now – and that urgency rewards whoever produces a visible effect today. Al-Qaida built its project around a generational war of attrition, betting that will and endurance could outlast a technologically superior enemy.

The Islamic State AI approach

The Islamic State has long been the more aggressive media innovator of the two movements. At the height of its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq, it built a sophisticated media apparatus prioritizing speed, spectacle and professional production. That instinct has carried into the AI era, aided by younger, digitally immersed supporters and recruits who readily experiment with new........

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