Key facts
- AI is accelerating radicalization, reducing the time frame from months/years to days.
- Young people are being radicalized and manipulated at rapid speed, leading to youth crime.
- 12-year-olds are among the children being encountered by intelligence agencies.
- Since 2020, 65 children have been subject to federal police operations.
- 35 children have been charged with state or commonwealth terrorism-related offenses.
Australia is facing a significant increase in youth crime, exacerbated by artificial intelligence accelerating radicalization, a parliamentary inquiry heard. Australian Federal Police acting deputy commissioner Sandra Booth stated that AI is enabling radicalization to occur within days, a stark contrast to previous timeframes. This manipulation of young, impressionable individuals through sophisticated online networks poses a threat to democratic institutions and could overwhelm the nation's systems.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is encountering younger individuals, including 12-year-olds, being radicalized, a shift from two decades ago when cases predominantly involved individuals in their early 20s. Since 2020, federal police operations have targeted 65 children, with 35 charged with terrorism-related offenses. The inquiry aims to understand the rapid radicalization process and its drivers.