Myanmar’s military junta is turning the country into a “laboratory for 21st-century authoritarianism” by deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to entrench repression under the guise of counterterrorism, according to a new report by Human Rights Myanmar (HRM).

In an 80-page submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, HRM alleges that the junta is constructing a vast AI-driven surveillance ecosystem designed to eliminate anonymity, crush dissent, and even automate atrocity crimes.

At the heart of the system lies a national biometric database combining fingerprints, facial scans, travel histories, and financial records to build comprehensive citizen profiles. Linked to AI-enabled CCTV networks in major cities, the technology allows authorities to track, identify, and detain perceived opponents in real time

“With a single identity scan at a checkpoint, the regime can access a person’s communications, movements, and political affiliations,” the report states, warning that the military is creating an “automated kill chain” that could enable extrajudicial executions at the push of a button.

HRM also describes a “Great Firewall of Myanmar,” where AI intercepts private communications, blocks VPNs, and maps dissident networks. Instead of enhancing security, the rights group says, the system accelerates arbitrary arrests, torture, and persecution of activists, journalists, and minority groups.

International complicity is highlighted as well. The report points to technology suppliers in China, India, Israel, and Western countries who allegedly provide the junta with surveillance software, forensic tools, and drone systems despite sanctions. Social media platforms such as Meta and Telegram are accused of enabling harassment by failing to rein in military-linked doxing and hate speech campaigns.

With Myanmar’s judiciary and regulators firmly under military control, HRM argues there are no domestic checks on these abuses. It urges governments to strengthen export controls, enforce corporate human rights due diligence, and bolster civil society resistance to digital repression.

“The junta is weaponizing artificial intelligence as a human rights violation multiplier,” HRM concludes. “Without urgent international action, Myanmar risks becoming the world’s first fully AI-powered dictatorship a place where algorithms, not laws, decide who lives and who dies.”

Human rights observers say the report underscores the junta’s shift from brute-force repression to sophisticated digital authoritarianism, marking a dangerous escalation in its war against democracy and dissent.

BOB Post