UAlbany Expert Available to Discuss The Risks of Existential Terrorism and AI

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 28, 2023) — Gary Ackerman, an associate professor and associate dean at the University at Albany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC), has spent decades studying terrorism around the world — from the motivations and capabilities of terrorist groups to the mitigation strategies governments use to defend against them.

Last month, he co-published an article in the European Journal of Risk Regulation that gained a substantial amount of media attention: “Existential Terrorism: Can Terrorists Destroy Humanity?” The paper explores the plausibility of terrorist organizations using emerging technologies such as AI to enact existential harm, including human extinction.

News outlets such as Forbes and Newsweek have highlighted the research.

Ackerman has headed more than 10 large government-sponsored research projects over the past five years to address counterterrorism policy and operations, and has testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security about terrorist motivations for using nuclear weapons. He is also a senior investigator and co-founder of the nation’s first Center for Advanced Red Teaming (CART) housed at CEHC.   

We caught up with Ackerman to learn more about existential terrorism and the threats it poses, what’s being done to prevent the use of AI as a weapon, and why he found it necessary to publish an article about this topic now. 

Read our Q&A here. Ackerman is available for phone or live/recorded interviews.