Assessing North Korea’s AI ambitions

(Lami Kim – IISS) The final report of North Korea’s 9th Party Congress outlined ambitious plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into both its civilian and military sectors over the next five years. On the civilian side, the report stressed the urgent need to develop AI alongside energy and space technologies, describing them as core technologies underpinning advanced industrial development. For the military, it identified AI-enabled uninhabited attack systems as a key modernisation objective, alongside electronic-warfare and counterspace capabilities, while maintaining North Korea’s traditional emphasis on nuclear weapons. Pyongyang’s emphasis on AI is not new. North Korean media has repeatedly highlighted the potential impact of AI on both economic development and military modernisation, and its efforts to operationalise the technology. The regime has claimed that it has developed AI-equipped autonomous reconnaissance and attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and that its guided multiple rocket launchers incorporate AI-guidance systems. These developments reflect a recognition that its principal adversaries – the United States and South Korea – are increasingly integrating AI into their military operations and that North Korea cannot afford to fall behind in this emerging technological competition. – Assessing North Korea’s AI ambitions