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VOL. 8, ISSUE 2 (2026)
Artificial intelligence-driven terrorism as a crime against humanity: Normative gaps, legal frameworks, and the imperative of global governance reform
Authors
Aditya Vardhan, Dr. Jyoti Yadav
Abstract
The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) with extremist
ideologies and terrorist operational methodologies represents one of the
gravest threats confronting the international community in the twenty-first
century. This paper undertakes an interdisciplinary examination of AI-driven
terrorism — characterised by the deliberate weaponisation of AI technologies to
plan, finance, recruit, execute, and propagandise acts of terrorism at
unprecedented scale. Employing doctrinal legal analysis alongside comparative
and case study methodologies, the paper analyses five principal modalities
through which AI facilitates terrorism: autonomous weapons systems, AI-enabled
cyberterrorism, deepfake and synthetic media deployment, AI-powered
surveillance evasion, and algorithmic radicalisation. It critically assesses
whether widespread, systematic AI-driven terrorist campaigns targeting civilian
populations may constitute crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of
the International Criminal Court, and identifies fundamental lacunae in the
existing international legal and governance architecture. The paper argues that
the absence of a comprehensive international counter-terrorism convention
specific to AI, combined with unresolved attribution challenges and jurisdictional
limitations of the ICC, creates a dangerous governance vacuum. Drawing on
comparative analysis of national responses from the United States, European
Union, China, and India, the paper advances concrete recommendations including
a binding UN Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Terrorism, the
establishment of an AI-Terrorism Monitoring Agency, mandatory dual-use AI
auditing, and the incorporation of AI ethics frameworks into counter-terrorism
legislation. The paper concludes that anticipatory governance mechanisms,
adequate to the accelerating pace of AI innovation, must be urgently developed
before AI-driven terrorism transitions from an emerging risk into a systemic,
civilisation-level threat.
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Pages:62-66
How to cite this article:
Aditya Vardhan, Dr. Jyoti Yadav "Artificial intelligence-driven terrorism as a crime against humanity: Normative gaps, legal frameworks, and the imperative of global governance reform". International Journal of Law, Policy and Social Review, Vol 8, Issue 2, 2026, Pages 62-66
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