Emerging Technologies

Terrorist and extremist groups routinely adopt new technologies to evade law enforcement, ranging from decentralised platforms to generative AI. Our research and advisory work are ahead of the curve in predicting, identifying and responding to these new trends. The research and policy guidance we provide helps frontline practitioners, law enforcement agencies and democratic governments worldwide.

July 13, 2026

Mapping the ‘Nudify’ Tools Ecosystem

ISD maps the gendered deepfakes ecosystem, exposing how it's created, spread and monetised while identifying key regulatory gaps.

Emerging Technologies, Tech Accountability and Safety, Tech Legislation and Regulation

May 29, 2026

Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII) Abuse

Digital Rights and Protections, Emerging Technologies, Misogyny, Tech Accountability and Safety

November 12, 2025

ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek honoured to join Pope Leo XIV’s audience on AI’s ethical and societal challenges

Emerging Technologies, Kids Online Safety, Tech Accountability and Safety

November 4, 2025

AI-generated videos of Hurricane Melissa undermine public safety

Climate, Emerging Technologies

October 27, 2025

Investigation | Talking points: When chatbots surface Russian state media

Emerging Technologies, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

October 23, 2025

The ecosystem of nonconsensual intimate deepfake tools online

Emerging Technologies, Misogyny

October 15, 2025

ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek to speak at the Future of Democracy Conference

Accountability and Speech Protection, Emerging Technologies, Freedom of Expression, Tech Accountability and Safety

July 11, 2025

AI blurs reality amid Iran-Israel conflict

Emerging Technologies, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation, Recommender Systems and Algorithms

May 6, 2025

Stolen voices: Russia-aligned operation manipulates audio and images to impersonate experts

Emerging Technologies, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

Hidden hate: How Amharic is being used to evade hate speech detection on TikTok

The Amharic language is being used on TikTok to evade moderation by mixing it with European languages in order to spread hate speech and bypass filter

Emerging Technologies, Recommender Systems and Algorithms, Terrorism and Extremism

October 30, 2024

ISD’s Elise Thomas for Lawfare: Gen AI will increase misinformation about disinformation

Elise Thomas, OSINT Senior Analyst at ISD, wrote an op-ed for Lawfare on how generative AI amplifies misinformation.

Emerging Technologies, Recommender Systems and Algorithms

September 19, 2024

Platforms fail to label and remove AI-generated and manipulated election content

With the 2024 US election rapidly approaching, ISD has found evidence that platforms are failing to remove or label even the debunked content.

Democratic Integrity, Emerging Technologies, Recommender Systems and Algorithms, Threat Analysis and Prevention

May 17, 2024

The US Senate’s AI policy roadmap is not a road to a safe future

The Senate's AI Roadmap represents a positive step forward, but it is important to recognize that there remains substantial work to be done.

Emerging Technologies, Kids Online Safety, Recommender Systems and Algorithms

March 14, 2024

Vilify, Ridicule, Disinform: Political Communication and Media Trust in the Age of Generative AI

This paper is a timely examination of political communication and media trust in the age of generative AI systems, analysing real-world examples of it

Emerging Technologies

October 17, 2023

Neue Plattformen und Technologien: Ein Überblick zur aktuellen Bedrohungslage und ihrer politischen Implikationen

This is the German translation of a policy paper, providing an overview on the risks of emerging platforms and technologies.

Emerging Technologies, Tech Accountability and Safety, Tech Legislation and Regulation

September 12, 2023

Emerging Platforms and Technologies: An Overview of the Current Threat Landscape and its Policy Implications

This policy paper provides an overview of the risks of emerging platforms and technologies, and identifies a series of policy recommendations.

Emerging Technologies, Tech Accountability and Safety, Tech Legislation and Regulation

September 11, 2023

ISD’s Zahed Amanullah presents at CS4OA about AI and counterspeech

Zahed Amanullah spoke at the CS4OA (Counter Speech for Online Abuse) workshop at the joint Sigdial-INLG 2023 conference in Prague.

Emerging Technologies, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse

May 12, 2023

On Odysee: The Role of Blockchain Technology for Monetisation in the Far-Right Online Milieu

This report studies how Odysee's blockchain-based approach appeals to the far-right.

Emerging Technologies, Far-Right Extremism, Gaming and Alternative Platforms

May 12, 2023

On Odysee: The Role of Blockchain Technology for Monetisation in the Far-Right Online Milieu

This report studies how Odysee's blockchain-based approach appeals to the far-right.

Emerging Technologies, Far-Right Extremism, Gaming and Alternative Platforms, Terrorism and Extremism

12 Next

Mapping the ‘Nudify’ Tools Ecosystem

Further Reading

Hidden hate: How Amharic is being used to evade hate speech detection on TikTok

ISD’s Elise Thomas for Lawfare: Gen AI will increase misinformation about disinformation

Platforms fail to label and remove AI-generated and manipulated election content

The US Senate’s AI policy roadmap is not a road to a safe future

Vilify, Ridicule, Disinform: Political Communication and Media Trust in the Age of Generative AI

Neue Plattformen und Technologien: Ein Überblick zur aktuellen Bedrohungslage und ihrer politischen Implikationen

Emerging Platforms and Technologies: An Overview of the Current Threat Landscape and its Policy Implications

ISD’s Zahed Amanullah presents at CS4OA about AI and counterspeech

On Odysee: The Role of Blockchain Technology for Monetisation in the Far-Right Online Milieu

On Odysee: The Role of Blockchain Technology for Monetisation in the Far-Right Online Milieu

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