Will the Next U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Hold States Accountable For Their Use of AI?

(Tomaso Falchetta and Romain Lanneau – Just Security) In his report on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the U.N. Secretary-General warned of the growing sophistication of terrorist groups in exploiting new and emerging technologies, including AI, for terrorist purposes. He also warned about the risks of deploying these technologies for counterterrorism without adequate human rights safeguards. Far from hypothetical, such warnings are particularly relevant given recent and current developments. In January, the United States military operation in Venezuela, which involved capturing President Nicolas Maduro, reportedly relied on AI to map sites for targeted bombing in Caracas. Two years earlier, investigative journalists had revealed that the Israeli military uses AI to select “tens of thousands of potential Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets for elimination in Gaza.” The United States and Israel have argued they are using these tools in counterterrorism operations to protect their populations from the threat of “narco-terrorism” and and “to sweep [Gaza] free of terrorists” (although it is worth noting that when operations took place in the context of armed conflict the concomitant application of international humanitarian law, alongside applicable international human rights law, comes into play). The issue of AI may well feature in the forthcoming 9th U.N. Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, due to be adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in June. However, discussions on emerging technologies at the United Nations have so far centered on the perceived challenges posed by AI to international counterterrorism efforts, such as addressing the misuse of technologies by terrorist organizations for propaganda purposes. The 8th Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy review already called for scaling up the use of AI and digital technologies to catch up with terrorists’ technological innovations. States have been much less willing to address how AI and other digital technologies have been abused in the name of countering terrorism, in some cases leading to serious human rights violations. As the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism noted in a 2025 position paper, “the Security Council has urged States to use new technologies to counter terrorism without paying sufficient regard to the human rights risks, including in countries lacking human rights protections, independent judiciaries, a rule of law culture, or democratic oversight.”. The 9th Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has an opportunity to enhance compliance with international human rights law, in particular by strengthening accountability in the use of AI, as well as human rights-focused due diligence by the U.N.’s programmes of technical assistance in the use of technologies for counterterrorism. – Will the Next U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Hold States Accountable For AI Use?