AI explored as tool for unraveling radicalization's complex drivers
Radicalization is a complex process, influenced by many variables that interact to varying degrees. AI scientist Mijke van den Hurk investigated whether artificial intelligence could help unravel this intricate interplay. She defended her Ph.D. thesis cum laude on June 29.
In the spring of 2019, Mijke van den Hurk was on vacation in Sri Lanka when a terrorist attack took place. More than 250 people were killed in suicide bombings targeting churches and luxury hotels. The attacks were claimed by a group affiliated with the radical Islamist organization IS.
"It was shocking to witness. There was so much fear and uncertainty. The attackers were wealthy, highly educated, and some were women. They did not fit the stereotypical image many people have of terrorists. It left me wondering: What pushes people to do this to one another?" van den Hurk says.
She started reading books, listening to podcasts and watching documentaries on the subject. "It became clear that this question is not easily answered. There are many reasons why people join extremist movements. It depends, among other things, on a person's need for recognition, social status, peer pressure and external circumstances."
National Police Lab AI
Understanding radicalization is crucial, given the significant impact of terrorist attacks. Van den Hurk, who graduated cum laude from the MSc Artificial Intelligence program and had just started as a data scientist with the police, wondered whether artificial intelligence could help.
Thanks to the collaboration between Utrecht University and the Dutch police, she was able to focus on the topic long term within the National Police Lab AI as part of her Ph.D. research. "The beauty of the collaboration between science and practice is that you create a shared representation of a complex subject and expand collective knowledge about it."
Despite years of research, there is still no single theory that adequately explains why—and, more importantly, how—people radicalize, van den Hurk explains. "Feeling attracted to an ideology that incites violence is still many steps away from actually committing violence. The multitude of factors and their interplay make it difficult to intervene in the right way and at the right time."
Van den Hurk explored whether agent-based modeling (ABM) could provide answers. ABM is a modeling technique that maps the complexity of human behavior. It allows researchers to simulate how individual entities interact over time and what effects this has on their behavior. "You can think of it as a kind of virtual environment where thousands of people walk around with different personality traits, reacting to each other and their surroundings according to certain behavioral rules. By observing what happens when these individuals influence each other, you can study how radicalization develops."
Van den Hurk developed a model that combines different theories on how individuals radicalize, where a person's agency increases or decreases through the interaction of various social and psychological mechanisms. Through simulation, it became clear how factors such as social influence, feelings of exclusion, identity formation or exposure to extremist ideas could reinforce or, conversely, inhibit each other.
Within the model, radicalization emerged from normal social processes that only coincide and reinforce each other under unique circumstances, leading to radical behavior. Van den Hurk notes, "The direction it takes is not determined by a person's fixed personal traits, but by which mechanisms have the greatest influence at a given moment. For example, we saw that some small groups radicalized as a counterreaction to a large majority, but only if the members of that group had no alternative way to meet their social needs."
Interactive dashboard
Van den Hurk's model can provide insight into the processes involved in radicalization: Why does one person radicalize under similar circumstances while another does not? "The model cannot predict when an individual will radicalize or when someone will carry out an attack. However, in the future, it may be possible to create an interactive dashboard where you can adjust different parameters to analyze potential radicalization scenarios. This could contribute to better policy and appropriate interventions."
The question that stayed with van den Hurk after the terrorist attacks during her vacation in Sri Lanka has not been answered by her thesis. "But the research, in collaboration with the police, has helped me better understand radicalization, both as a societal phenomenon and from my own experience with it."
More information
Mijke van den Hurk, A Radical Model of Radicalization, DOI: 10.33540/3579
Who's behind this story?
MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile →
Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →
Citation: AI explored as tool for unraveling radicalization's complex drivers (2026, July 14) retrieved 17 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-explored-tool-unraveling-radicalization.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.