Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the nature of terrorism, with extremist groups using emerging technology to spread propaganda, create convincing misinformation and accelerate the radicalisation of young people.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July visit to Australia, Burke said the traditional understanding of terrorism — based on organised cells, clear hierarchies and identifiable networks — was being replaced by a more complex threat landscape shaped by artificial intelligence and online platforms.
“Their powers, their capacity is about to be supercharged by artificial intelligence,” Burke said, warning that extremist organisations could now produce propaganda “quickly in multiple languages” and distribute content that appears authentic despite being false.
The minister said Australian security agencies were also confronting a new form of domestic radicalisation involving young people, often with little connection to traditional extremist networks.
“We have people now as young as 12 on our caseload,” Burke said, describing a growing challenge involving online gaming platforms and digital communities.
He explained that young users may build relationships with strangers through multiplayer gaming, voice chats and online communities, creating trust that can later be exploited for extremist purposes.
“Someone you’re talking to increasingly with AI will have the capacity to be a bot.”
Burke said authorities were seeing cases involving individuals influenced by a mixture of extremist ideologies that historically would have appeared incompatible.
He pointed to examples where ISIS-inspired beliefs were combined with neo-Nazi ideology, describing it as “mixed ideology, fast radicalisation” that challenges traditional counter-terrorism approaches.
The minister said terrorism was becoming increasingly transnational, with online platforms allowing extremist activity to cross borders.
Asked about cooperation with India following attacks including the Bondi Beach attack in Australia and the Pahalgam attack in India, Burke said some intelligence-sharing arrangements could not be discussed publicly.
“There’s elements of this that I’m not able to talk about… when we talk to our friends we’re also being listened to by our enemies.”
However, he confirmed Australia was establishing a new joint centre involving the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) focused specifically on combating online radicalisation.
Burke said artificial intelligence would also be part of Australia’s response, with authorities developing tools to detect and disrupt extremist activity online.
“Part of what we’ll be using is artificial intelligence as well,” he said, adding that such capabilities would be most effective when shared with trusted international partners.
Burke’s comments come as Australia and India deepen cooperation on technology, security and intelligence amid growing concerns about online extremism and foreign interference.
He said the changing threat environment required governments to adapt quickly, particularly as artificial intelligence lowered the barriers for extremist groups to produce content, communicate and influence vulnerable individuals.
Minister Burke also highlighted the importance of cooperation through partnerships such as the Quad, saying democratic countries needed to work together to protect sovereignty and security across the Indo-Pacific.
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