Mali information war uses generative AI, study says

Generative AI is increasingly being used for information warfare in Mali, the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute said in a study released Wednesday.

The think tank said the technology is being used to “amplify and accelerate” existing faultlines in the West African country, describing Mali as an “open-air laboratory” for its use in warfare.

Mali has faced a serious security crisis since 2012, involving violence by jihadists, criminal gangs and armed separatists. Since April, allied fighters from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known as JNIM, and the Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, have carried out attacks intended to weaken the junta, according to the study.

The military government, which has cut ties with the West and moved closer to Moscow in recent years, is using Russia's Africa Corps paramilitary fighters to help fight insurgents.

The Timbuktu Institute said generative AI is not being adopted uniformly. It said JNIM's use appears “still limited”, though its media arm Az-Zallaqa released AI-generated posters in June 2026.

AI use is more visible in spaces linked to the FLA, the study said. It cited several TikTok accounts featuring AI-generated characters presented as real people and broadcasting messages favourable to the group. The think tank said such characters can “humanise” the cause while making it harder to identify who is behind the content.

The study said the most sophisticated generative AI use has been by Russia and Africa Corps. It cited findings by Meta and OpenAI in 2024 that identified a Russian operation using AI models to produce commentary, articles and images in English and French for audiences in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the Timbuktu Institute, Africa Corps has the resources and expertise to fold AI content, fake accounts and dissemination strategies into more structured operations.