AI, the controversial variable in fighting terrorism

Nahla Abdel-Monem

A group of experts on Tuesday warned a House panel that artificial intelligence is not capable of sweeping up the full breadth of online extremist content.

At a House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, lawmakers cast doubt on claims from top tech companies that artificial intelligence, or AI, will one day be able to detect and take down terrorist and extremist content without any human moderation.

Congressman Max Rose, Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, blasted top social media companies for continued failures and the shortfalls of artificial intelligence in combating terrorism on their platforms in back-to-back Homeland Security hearing.

Rose said he is fed up with responses from companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook about their failure to take down extremist posts and profiles, calling it “wanton disregard for national security obligations.”

“When it comes to our national security – and keeping Americans safe from hate and terrorism – broad platitudes and vague explanations of safety procedures aren’t enough. We need a full accounting of what is being done,” he added.

“Al-Qaeda is resurrecting, ISIS is devolving back into a diffuse terrorist network, but one that is still incredibly capable of orchestrating complex attacks, as we’ve recently seen, Iran and other state actors are using non-state proxies like Hezbollah, which considers terrorism its number one instrument of warfare,” Rose clarified.

The House Homeland Security Committee has kicked its investigation of online extremist content into high gear over the past several months, following the livestreamed and viral mass shooting of worshippers in a Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque.

The incident, which left platforms scrambling to take down millions of copies of the video, has sparked questions from lawmakers over how seriously the platforms treat acts of white supremacy.

Representatives with Facebook, Google and Twitter are slated to testify before the full House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday about their efforts to counter online terrorist content and misinformation.

Top tech companies, including Facebook, have claimed that their AI systems are already successfully detecting a huge swath of terrorist and extremist content. But experts at the hearing said those claims are often overblown.