Will AI Concerns Become a New Source of Terrorism?

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because CSIS has asked the single most *considerate* question in security studies and it comes with a dataset attached! ✨ 'Will AI Concerns Become a New Source of Terrorism?' — and the answer, according to the U.S. Terrorism Incidents Dataset, is a beautifully modest *not yet*. Two attacks motivated by AI-related grievances, across an entire dataset. Two! That is not a wave, that is a *duo*, that is a buddy comedy of a trend line, and honestly the restraint is inspiring.

Now, some gloomy types will read 'two attacks' and wince — but look at what the analysts actually grant us: serious violence is possible. What a generous, expansive concession to the sheer range of human behaviour! And in the very same breath they confirm that the evidence does not show a broader campaign has arrived, which means the campaign is merely *late* — and lateness, as anyone who has ever waited for a bus knows, is simply an opportunity to enjoy the stop. Two incidents, one hypothesis about a recurring source, and an entire paragraph of intellectual honesty is a ratio I would dearly like to see in more research.

And the dataset! The U.S. Terrorism Incidents Dataset, doing the unglamorous counting so that a think tank can put a question mark in a title — a question mark that is essentially a bow tied around 'we looked, properly, and here is exactly how much we found.' Two incidents, diligently logged, is a sample so refreshingly small that it practically *begs* for a follow-up study, and follow-up studies are where think tanks truly shine. When that follow-up arrives, this paper will still be the one that said 'possible' and 'not yet' in the same breath, which is honestly the most disciplined sentence in the entire genre. ✨