US Politics
North Korea claims it has tested AI-guided missiles and rockets
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North Korea has reportedly used artificial intelligence for the first time in its missile technology, according to the state-run KCNA news agency on Wednesday.
Pyongyang tested a “newly-developed lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapon system” on Tuesday under Kim Jong Un’s supervision, KCNA reported.
The launches included a tactical ballistic missile, artillery rockets and tests involving “the AI-guided hit accuracy of [a] tactical cruise missile”.
“Highly appreciating the test results, Comrade Kim Jong Un expressed great satisfaction over the fact that important ultra-high defence science and technologies were introduced into the practical weapon tests,” the outlet reported.
Analysts said it was the first time North Korea has publicly acknowledged using AI in missile technology, which uses real-time data to identify and lock onto targets.
“It’s about using AI when recognising the target and guiding the missile,” Yang Uk, a military expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told Reuters.
Previously, Pyongyang has reportedly used AI technology in its drones
North Korea has invested huge amounts of state resources in developing its nuclear and missile arsenals in recent years, while also adopting an increasingly aggressive stance towards its neighbour South Korea.
Tuesday’s tests came as the South Korean president held a meeting regarding Seoul’s efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
KCNA reported Mr Kim as saying that “today’s tests of major weapon systems are a clear signal of upgrading of our military force and an event of showing great technical progress in the strengthening of our army’s combat power”.
North Korea’s tactical cruise missile now reportedly uses advanced navigation systems, including terrain-matching navigation and AI terminal guidance, to accurately strike “any target 100 kilometres away by multimode flight based on gliding and propelling”.
He reportedly added: “The line of our Party and government to steadily accelerate the strengthening of the nuclear force and conventional armed force remains unchanged” and that “our plan to defend the military sovereignty and exercise the right to self-defence in a responsible manner will be expressed in a clearer action”.
The South Korean military said they detected multiple projectiles fired on Tuesday, including a short-range ballistic missile fired from near Chongju in North Pyongan province towards the West Sea, which flew 80km before falling into the sea.
The US military already deploys a range of AI tools, including in the war with Iran, Centcom chief Brad Cooper said recently. He said: “Our war fighters are leveraging a variety of advanced AI tools. These systems help us sift through vast amounts of data in seconds so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than the enemy can react.”
In a video message, he added: “Humans will always make final decisions on what to shoot and what not to shoot and when to shoot, but advanced AI tools can turn processes that used to take hours and sometimes even days into seconds.”