Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed is reportedly using AI-generated audio and videos of chief Masood Azhar to revive recruitment after losses in Operation Sindoor. Intelligence officials say the outfit plans region-specific content targeting potential recruits in Pakistan and rural India
Published Date – 31 October 2026, 07:17 PM
New Delhi: Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has reportedly initiated a strategic push into Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate fake audio and video clips of its chief, Masood Azhar, seeking to rebuild its declining cadre base following heavy losses in Operation Sindoor.
The Islamic State and Al-Qaeda were among the first terror organisations to adapt their operations to AI, with the Islamic State being the quickest to exploit the technology, according to intelligence assessments.
Al-Qaeda is also catching up, while Pakistan-based outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and JeM have largely relied on conventional methods of communication and mobilisation.
Indian intelligence agencies have now learnt that the Jaish is making a major push to use AI-generated audio and video material. Officials believe the move became necessary after its top leadership stayed away from public appearances following Operation Sindoor last year.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that recruitment, especially by the Jaish, had hit a major roadblock following Operation Sindoor. The outfit has seen several ups and downs since the Indian armed forces carried out the operation to avenge the Pahalgam attack, in which several innocent tourists were killed.
During the operation, the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur was destroyed, while several cadres, including close family members of the outfit’s chief, Masood Azhar, were killed.
With Azhar largely absent from public view, the outfit’s recruitment efforts have suffered. Many had begun questioning his whereabouts and were unwilling to join an organisation whose leader they believed was no longer active.
“Moreover, several audio and video clips that were circulated to boost both morale and recruitment were called out as old and recycled. This led the Jaish to decide to use AI extensively to change the narrative,” the official said.
The Jaish has been preparing audio and video clips using AI. The clips are meant to send a message that Azhar is back in business and is very much active. They show a rejuvenated Masood Azhar making strong calls for recruitment and urging people to wage jihad against India.
Another official said the old and recycled clips were easily identified since many had seen them in the past.
With AI and technology advancing so rapidly, it is difficult for ordinary cadres or potential recruits to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake.
“The push has been directed exclusively at the slightly uneducated cadres and recruits. This is deliberate, as these persons do not have the capabilities to conduct fact-checks or verify the authenticity of the clips,” the official said.
Another official said the primary aim of Jaish-e-Mohammed was to revive recruitment.
Those who have been approached in recent months have either been reluctant or refused to join the outfit. They have been asking for proof that Masood Azhar is still active, and recruiters have not been able to answer those questions convincingly.
For these recruits and existing cadres, Masood Azhar is a hero. Without him, not many are ready to take the plunge, and this has hurt both the morale of the cadres and the recruitment drive.
While the Jaish has, for now, largely managed to overcome the problem through the use of AI, it also faces another challenge: the question of who will succeed Azhar. The Jaish is planning this major AI push not just in Pakistan but also in rural India.
For the Indian market, the Azhar videos would be tailor-made for different regions, using their respective languages. The JeM has deliberately targeted audiences from lower socio-economic backgrounds and those living in rural areas. Awareness of generative AI and similar technologies is very low in these areas, and the Jaish is aware that such people could be easily swayed.
The JeM wants to keep the organisation running and maintain the morale of its cadres while also ensuring that recruitment increases significantly. It realises that it needs a strong replacement, as Azhar is reportedly not in the best of health and is incapable of leading from the front now.
By using AI-generated videos, the Jaish not only plans to boost its recruitment drive but also seeks to buy time until it finds a replacement, an official said.
