New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) reportedly initiated a strategic push into Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate fake audio and video clips of its chief Masood Azhar, seeking to rebuild its declining cadre base following heavy losses in Operation Sindoor.
The Islamic State and Al-Qaeda were among the first terror organisations to adapt their operations to AI, with the Islamic State quickest to exploit the technology, according to intelligence assessments.
Al-Qaeda is also catching up, while Pakistan-based outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and JeM have largely relied on conventional methods of communication and mobilisation.
Indian intelligence agencies have now learnt that the Jaish is making a major push to use AI-generated audio and video material. Officials believe the move became necessary after its top leadership stayed away from public appearances following Operation Sindoor last year.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the recruitments, especially in the Jaish, have hit a major roadblock following Operation Sindoor. The outfit has seen several ups and downs since the Indian armed forces carried out the operation to avenge the Pahalgam attack in which several innocent tourists were killed.
During the operation, the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur was destroyed, while several cadres, including close family members of the outfit’s chief Masood Azhar, were killed.
With Azhar largely absent from public view, the outfit’s recruitment efforts have suffered. Many had begun questioning his whereabouts and were unwilling to join an organisation whose leader they believed was no longer active.
“Moreover, several audio and video clips that were circulated to boost both the morale as well as recruitments were called out as old and recycled. This led to the Jaish deciding to use AI extensively to change the narrative,” the official said.
The Jaish has been preparing audio and video clips using AI. The clips are meant to send a message that Azhar is back in business and is very much active. The clips show a rejuvenated Masood Azhar making strong calls for recruitment and to wage jihad against India.
Another official said the old and recycled clips were called out easily since many had seen them in the past.
With AI and technology taking such a leap, it is hard for ordinary cadres or possible recruits to tell the difference between what is real and fake.
“The push has been exclusively made to the slightly uneducated cadres and recruits. This is deliberate as these persons do not have the capabilities of running fact checks or verifying the authenticity of the clips,” the official said.
Another official said the primary aim of the Jaish-e-Mohammed is to revive recruitment.
Those who have been tapped in recent months have been either reluctant or refused to join the outfit. They have been asking for proof that Masood Azhar is still in action, and the recruiters have not been able to answer those questions convincingly.
For these recruits and existing cadres, Masood Azhar is a hero. Without him, not many are ready to take the plunge, and this has hurt both the morale of the cadres as well as the recruitment drive.
While for now, the Jaish has managed to largely overcome the problem thanks to the use of AI, it also poses another challenge for the outfit, and that is after Azhar. The Jaish is planning this big AI push not just in Pakistan, but in rural India as well.
For the Indian market, the Azhar videos would be tailor-made to regions, with their respective languages being used. The JeM has deliberately targeted audiences who are from the lower strata and are part of the rural sector. Awareness regarding generative AI and similar technology is very low here, and the Jaish is aware that such persons will be easily swayed.
The JeM wants to keep the ship sailing and wants the morale of its cadres to be high, while also ensuring that recruitments go up significantly. It does realise that it needs a strong replacement, as Azhar is not in the best of health and is incapable of leading from the front now.
By using AI-generated videos, the Jaish not only plans to enhance the recruitment drive, but also seeks to buy time until it finds a replacement, an official said.
–IANS
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