The battle for influence in Mali is increasingly moving into the digital space, with generative artificial intelligence being used to create and spread political and conflict-related messages, according to a new analysis.
The Timbuktu Institute, a Dakar-based research organisation, said AI is helping actors involved in Mali’s conflict produce information at greater speed and scale.
The institute described the country as an “open-air laboratory” for the emerging use of generative AI in information warfare, warning that the technology is amplifying existing fault lines within the country.
Mali has been dealing with instability and armed conflict since 2012. Jihadist groups, criminal networks and separatist forces have all contributed to the prolonged crisis.
The latest phase of the conflict has included attacks by JNIM, an Al-Qaeda-linked organisation, and the Tuareg separatist FLA. The groups have sought to put pressure on Mali’s military rulers.
The junta, meanwhile, has strengthened its ties with Moscow after relations with several Western governments deteriorated. Russia’s Africa Corps has provided support to Malian forces fighting insurgent groups.
The study found that the different actors are not using AI in the same way.
JNIM, for example, appears to have made only limited use of generative AI so far. Its media organisation, Az-Zallaqa, nevertheless released AI-generated posters in June 2026.
The technology appears to have been used more extensively in online spaces associated with the FLA.
Researchers identified TikTok accounts where AI-generated figures were presented as genuine individuals while promoting messages favourable to the separatist movement.
According to the institute, these digitally created personalities can make a political cause appear more relatable while concealing the identity of the people or organisations producing the content.
Russia and the Africa Corps were identified as having greater technical capacity for using AI in coordinated information campaigns.
The report referred to investigations conducted by Meta and OpenAI in 2024, which found a Russian operation that used AI systems to generate articles, commentary and images in both English and French for audiences in sub-Saharan Africa.
The institute said Africa Corps could combine AI-generated material with fake accounts and coordinated dissemination methods, creating a more sophisticated information operation.
The findings demonstrate the growing importance of artificial intelligence in conflicts where control of public narratives can be almost as significant as control of territory.
As AI-generated content becomes easier to produce, distinguishing genuine voices from artificially created material could become increasingly difficult for audiences following Mali’s conflict online.
