Casablanca’s AI-Assisted Piracy Is the New Smuggling Template
By Syed John
A North African crew used generative AI to forge port paperwork and steal lithium batteries.
Forget speedboats with mounted guns. The latest piracy heist used large language models to fabricate customs manifests so perfect they fooled Casablanca's port authority. The crew rerouted lithium battery containers onto a Liberian-flagged vessel without touching a crane. Their tools? Synthetic phone calls, AI-translated documents, and QR codes that looked official even under forensic scanners.
Ports are still staffed by humans who trust their instincts. But when paperwork is generated by an AI that knows local slang and bureaucratic quirks, instinct loses. Moroccan regulators now want AI to detect AI—an arms race in clipboards and code.
Expect copycats. Crime syndicates aren't upgrading to missiles; they're upgrading to prompt engineering. Insurance markets better adjust before entire supply chains disappear via perfect paperwork.