Concern 546 · Working draft · editorial review in progress
Attack-planning uplift
Attack-planning uplift is the possibility that AI materially improves a person's ability to prepare violence.
Understanding the concern
The word uplift refers to added capability, not simply access to information. A system could make some forms of research or organization easier, but whether that translates into a workable harmful plan depends on many real-world constraints. Risk claims should identify the specific contribution being measured.
Prevention-focused reports discuss these possibilities without showing that every feared scenario has occurred. Public education can explain the concern through safeguards, evaluation and intervention rather than operational details. A refusal to assist harmful planning is one layer; monitoring abuse and appropriate human response can provide others.
An example
A safety evaluator tests whether a system meaningfully assists harmful planning rather than merely discussing a topic.
Illustrative unless identified as a documented case.
Words in plain English
- AI
- Software that learns patterns from examples or uses rules to perform tasks such as recognizing images or generating text. It can make mistakes and does not understand every situation as a person would.
Evidence and its limits
The sources combine preparedness analysis and bounded evaluations. This entry provides no methods, targets or tactical planning advice.
Counter Terrorism Preparedness Network and UN Office of Counter-Terrorism · 2025 · Risk and preparedness report
Artificial intelligence in cities: Securing our future ↗ (opens in a new tab)Discusses misuse pathways and prevention; potential capabilities are not evidence of completed attacks in every category.
UK AI Security Institute · 2025 · Evaluation report
Frontier AI Trends Report ↗ (opens in a new tab)Tests through October 2025 show capability trends in bounded tasks; these are not proof of end-to-end harmful real-world success.
Broader frameworks and background
These resources provide context. They do not establish every claim in this concern.
- MIT AI Incident Tracker (opens in a new tab)
incidents
- MITRE ATLAS (opens in a new tab)
framework
- International humanitarian law (IHL)
framework
The body of law that governs the conduct of armed conflict and the protection of people who are not fighting, which applies to AI used in or for conflict.
A question to discuss
What would count as evidence of added capability, and what safeguards should follow from it?
Keep track of different views, what needs checking, and any next step in your own discussion notes.
Open discussion notes →Principles for the conversation
Before you finish · reflect together
Virtues and principles to consider
Virtues are qualities we practice in how we treat people and make choices. They are not scores for judging someone. Use these ideas to explore what a thoughtful response could look like.
Courage
Courage means acting on a well-grounded responsibility even when it is uncomfortable. It can mean trying something useful, admitting a mistake, or challenging pressure to move too fast.
Make it possible for people to raise concerns without punishment. Support those who point out harm, and be willing to pause a popular project when evidence gives a good reason.
Ask together: What important action are we avoiding because it is difficult?
Stewardship
Stewardship means caring for resources and systems that others depend on, including people who will use them later. It looks beyond the benefit of a quick launch.
Plan for maintenance, energy use, data protection, and eventual shutdown. Ask who will look after the tool when the original team moves on and how future users can avoid inheriting hidden costs.
Ask together: What are we responsible for caring for over time?
Prudence
Prudence means using careful judgment before and during action. It balances worthwhile opportunities with the need to avoid harm that could have been anticipated.
Start with a limited trial, set stopping points, and prefer choices that can be undone when uncertainty is high. Review what happens rather than assuming the original plan remains sound.
Ask together: What is a careful next step, and when should we stop or change course?
Editorial ratings
These are editorial judgments from the register, not measured probabilities or predictions about your situation.
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