FBI Warns Generative AI Used in Terror Plots, Safeguards Insufficient

AI Used in Terrorist Attack

In May 2025, a 25-year-old man detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic, killing himself and injuring four others. Law enforcement officers stated the suspect used an unnamed generative AI tool to obtain bomb-making instructions. The privacy features of the AI chatbot prevented alerts to police regarding the suspect's inquiries.

FBI Concerns Over AI Misuse

A May 2026 memo from the FBI's Los Angeles division warned that 'threat actors will likely increase their use of GenAI tools for attack planning.' The memo also stated that 'current built-in GenAI safeguards are insufficient to prevent illicit use as malicious actors successfully employ 'jailbreaking' techniques to access dangerous information.'

Law Enforcement Monitoring

Law enforcement and intelligence agency documents, reviewed by the Guardian, indicate that agencies have considered AI both a tool and a target for terrorists since 2021. Agencies are working to keep pace with the evolving ways bad actors might use AI to supercharge existing and new types of crimes. Additionally, police and intelligence officers are monitoring online opposition to data centers from groups described as having extremist ideologies.

Document Scope

The Guardian reviewed over 80 previously unreported documents and memos distributed between 2021 and 2026. These documents circulated among federal, state, and local law enforcement offices, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the FBI, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD).