Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important tool in Mali’s conflict, with jihadist groups, separatists, the military-led authorities and their Russian partners all using generative AI to shape narratives, spread propaganda and influence public opinion, according to a new study.
The Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute said in a report titled “Algorithms at War” that generative AI is beginning to alter the information battlefield surrounding Mali’s long-running conflict.
The study found that Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, an al-Qaeda-linked armed group, the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, Mali’s transitional authorities and Russia’s Africa Corps have all incorporated AI tools into their communications strategies, although to very different degrees.
JNIM still in an experimental phase
According to the institute, JNIM’s use of artificial intelligence remains relatively limited compared with other actors.
The group has used AI-generated promotional material to advertise authentic footage from attacks and operations, including posters circulated through its media networks.
Researchers said the technology could eventually allow JNIM to significantly expand its propaganda operations by producing content more quickly, translating material into local languages and tailoring recruitment messages to specific audiences.
For now, however, the institute described the group’s use of generative AI as being in a limited experimental phase that could expand rapidly if more resources are devoted to it.
Separatists turn to synthetic personalities
Supporters of the Azawad separatist movement are also using artificial intelligence across social media, particularly through unofficial accounts operated by sympathisers.
One of the most striking examples identified by researchers is a supposedly Tuareg fighter known online as “Azzghim,” whose strongly anti-Russian messages have circulated widely on social media.
The Timbuktu Institute said the figure appears to be entirely synthetic, with subtle visual inconsistencies suggesting the images were generated artificially.
Such AI-created personalities can give political or armed movements a more human face while allowing them to tailor messaging, increase engagement and potentially assist recruitment without exposing a real fighter to the security risks associated with becoming a public figure.
Russia leads in sophistication
The most advanced use of generative artificial intelligence, however, appears to come from Russian-linked information networks and Mali’s military-led authorities.
The Timbuktu Institute said Russia’s Africa Corps, which replaced the Wagner Group as Moscow’s principal military presence in the region, operates within a broader and increasingly sophisticated disinformation ecosystem.
AI-generated videos, deepfakes, automated social media comments and synthetic accounts are among the tools researchers say have been incorporated into influence campaigns targeting audiences in Mali and across the wider Sahel.
The content frequently promotes claims of military victories against JNIM and other armed groups while reinforcing narratives favoured by Mali’s transitional authorities and the broader Alliance of Sahel States, which includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
These messages often attack France, the Economic Community of West African States and international human rights organisations.
Some campaigns documented by the institute have generated millions of views, illustrating how industrial-scale production of AI-assisted content can be used simultaneously for political messaging, public manipulation and control of the information environment.
The report argues that such campaigns can obscure the real security situation on the ground and distract local audiences from setbacks suffered by state forces.
Mali could become a laboratory for AI-driven information warfare
The growing importance of AI propaganda is amplified by restrictions placed on independent and international media across parts of the Sahel.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have tightened controls on domestic news organisations and suspended or restricted access to several foreign media outlets in recent years, reducing the number of competing sources available to local audiences.
The Timbuktu Institute warned that the use of artificial intelligence in Mali could go well beyond propaganda.
As the technology becomes cheaper and more widely available, it could potentially be used for automated translation, personalised recruitment, anonymity, intelligence support and eventually some forms of military targeting.
The researchers stressed, however, that many of those more advanced battlefield applications remain largely prospective.
For now, the most visible transformation is taking place in the information sphere.
The institute warned that Mali could increasingly become a testing ground for AI-assisted information warfare, where the distinction between authentic reporting, manipulated content and entirely fabricated material becomes progressively harder to identify.
That, the researchers said, makes digital literacy and the ability to detect synthetic media an increasingly important part of security policy across the Sahel.
