Generative artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in the information war surrounding Mali’s long-running security crisis, with rival factions using the technology to varying degrees, a new study has found.
The report, released by the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute, describes Mali as an “open-air laboratory” for the use of generative AI in modern information warfare.
According to the study, AI tools are being used to amplify existing divisions within the West African country while allowing groups involved in the conflict to produce and distribute propaganda more quickly.
Mali has faced a severe security crisis since 2012, involving jihadist insurgencies, criminal groups and armed separatist movements.
Since April, fighters linked to Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) have carried out a series of attacks targeting Mali’s military government.
The junta has increasingly distanced itself from Western countries while strengthening its relationship with Russia. Russian Africa Corps personnel have also been assisting Mali’s military in its fight against insurgent groups.
The Timbuktu Institute said, however, that the use of generative AI is not uniform across the various factions. Its deployment depends on the resources, technical capabilities and objectives of each group.
JNIM’s use of the technology appears relatively limited, according to the report. However, its media outlet, Az-Zallaqa, published posters generated with AI in June 2026.
More sophisticated examples have reportedly emerged from online spaces associated with the FLA.
The institute identified several TikTok accounts using AI-generated characters portrayed as real individuals. The characters were used to deliver messages supportive of the separatist movement.
The study said the artificial personas could help “humanise” the FLA’s cause while making it more difficult to determine who is actually producing and distributing the material.
The report identified Russia and its Africa Corps as having the most advanced use of generative AI in the conflict’s information environment.
It cited findings from Meta and OpenAI in 2024 that identified a Russian influence operation using AI models to create articles, commentary and images in English and French for audiences across sub-Saharan Africa.
The Timbuktu Institute said Africa Corps has the resources and expertise to incorporate AI into more organised information operations involving generated content, fabricated online identities and coordinated distribution.
The findings highlight how artificial intelligence is becoming another tool in Mali’s broader struggle over narratives, influence and public opinion.
