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UN warns terrorists could hijack AI cars for mass casualty attacks using "slaughterbots"

By isabelle // 2025-06-18

• A UN report warns terrorists could hijack autonomous vehicles, turning them into AI-powered weapons for mass casualty attacks without risking operatives.
• Security experts rate the likelihood of such attacks as "moderate to high" within 5 to 10 years, urging immediate action.
• Terrorists may use hacked AVs to replicate traditional vehicle attacks like rampages or bombs remotely, eliminating the need for suicide operatives.
• Autonomous vehicles' advantages could be weaponized for swarm attacks or infrastructure sabotage, overwhelming emergency responses.
• The UN calls for global cooperation to prevent AI misuse, stressing the need for proactive defense before terrorists exploit advancing technology.

In a dire warning that sounds like the plot of a dystopian thriller, a new United Nations report reveals that terrorists could soon hijack autonomous vehicles, turning them into AI-powered "slaughterbots" capable of executing mass casualty attacks without risking a single operative on the ground. The report, titled "Algorithms and Terrorism: The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence for Terrorist Purposes," exposes how rapidly advancing self-driving technology could be exploited by extremists to launch remote-controlled carnage in crowded urban centers. Security experts rate the probability of such attacks as "moderate to high" within the next 5 to 10 years, urging governments and tech developers to act before it’s too late.

The rise of AI-enabled terrorism

The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism stated: “Vehicles, particularly cars, vans and trucks, have long been used in terrorist attacks. Reflecting on the extensive history of terrorism and vehicles, increased autonomy in cars could well be an amenable development for terrorist groups, allowing them to effectively carry out one of their most traditional types of attacks remotely, without the need for a follower to sacrifice his or her life or risk being apprehended.” This isn’t speculative fiction; it’s a dark reality being shaped by the unchecked proliferation of AI-driven transportation. The report underscores how terrorists, historically reliant on vehicle-based attacks (from truck rampages to car bombs), could now orchestrate devastation from afar, leveraging hacked autonomous systems to strike with precision and scale. William Allchorn, a senior research fellow at the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute, told The Times: “The likelihood of co-ordinated attacks using hijacked or self-made AVs [autonomous vehicles] in the near future, i.e., five to ten years, is moderate to high and should be on the radar of all national security services and practitioners in the UK as a possible threat.” His warning echoes growing concerns among counterterrorism officials who fear AI’s dual-use potential to be beneficial in peacetime but catastrophic in malicious hands.

From convenience to catastrophe

Autonomous vehicles promise to revolutionize transportation, reducing human error and traffic fatalities. Yet, as the UN report highlights, their very advantages—remote operation, networked coordination, and AI decision-making—could be inverted into tools of terror. Imagine a fleet of driverless cars commandeered by extremists, barreling into pedestrian zones or colliding with critical infrastructure. The report also warns of "swarm attacks" using drones or hijacked vehicles to overwhelm emergency responses, akin to military tactics repurposed for civilian slaughter. The threat isn’t limited to physical attacks. AI-driven vehicles rely on vast data networks, including traffic management systems and GPS, which could be sabotaged to paralyze cities. The Times notes the report’s emphasis on smart city vulnerabilities, where hackers could disrupt public transport or emergency services to amplify chaos during an attack.

A call for proactive defense

The UN’s findings serve as a wake-up call: “This publication should serve as an early warning for potential malicious uses and abuses of AI by terrorists and help the global community, industry and governments to proactively think about what we can do collectively to ensure new technologies are used to bring good and not harm.” The UN’s warning is clear: the era of AI-enabled terrorism is dawning, and the window to prevent catastrophe is narrowing. Autonomous vehicles, once hailed as a pinnacle of innovation, now embody a paradox, offering both societal transformation and unprecedented vulnerability. As Allchorn notes, the threat is currently limited but escalates with each technological leap. The question isn’t if terrorists will exploit these tools, but when. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com DailyMail.co.uk TheTimes.com

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