Study Shows North Korea’s Ambition to Harness Artificial Intelligence for Economic Growth
North Korea is developing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for everything from responding to COVID-19 and securing nuclear reactors to combat simulations and government surveillance, according to a new study.
International sanctions over its nuclear weapons program may have hampered North Korea’s efforts to secure artificial intelligence hardware, but it appears to be pursuing the latest technology, wrote study author Hyuk Kim of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in California.
“North Korea’s recent efforts to develop AI/ML represent a strategic investment to strengthen its digital economy,” Kim wrote in a report citing open-source data, including state media and newspapers, released Tuesday by the 38 North project.
According to the report, some North Korean AI researchers have collaborated with foreign researchers, including in China.
North Korea established an artificial intelligence research institute in 2013, and several companies have promoted commercial products containing artificial intelligence in recent years, according to the report.
Communication technology is heavily restricted and controlled in the authoritarian North.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea used artificial intelligence to create a model to assess proper mask use and prioritize clinical signs of infection, Kim said in the report.
North Korean researchers have also published research on the use of artificial intelligence to maintain the safety of nuclear reactors, the report added.
The UN nuclear watchdog and independent experts said last month that a new reactor at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex appears to be operating for the first time, marking another potential source of plutonium for nuclear weapons.
Artificial intelligence development brings many challenges, Kim wrote.
“For example, North Korea’s pursuit of a wargaming simulation program (machine learning) reveals intentions to better understand operational environments against potential adversaries,” he wrote.
“Furthermore, North Korea’s continued cooperation with foreign scientists worries the sanctions regime.”
