Kim Jong Un declares AI military drone development a ‘top priority’

According to state media reports, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has stated that using artificial intelligence is “top priority” in the development of his nation’s increasingly sophisticated weapons technology and expanding drone capabilities.

Kim conducted performance tests of multiple-purpose drones and unmanned surveillance vehicles on Thursday, according to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday.

The North Korean leader cited “rapidly developing the newly-introduced artificial intelligence technology” as a “top priority” in order to expand his military’s unmanned weapons systems, according to KCNA.

Kim also advocated expanding and expanding drone production in serial.

Kim’s visit to the aeronautical complex comes just one week after he praised Pyongyang’s “significant” expansion of its nuclear capabilities by observing another test of a new solid-fuel rocket engine designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

According to the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), North Korea’s military is made up of nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles, an expanding stockpile of nuclear weapons, and a developing spy satellite program.

Out of a population of roughly 25.6%, active duty North Korean soldiers now number about one million and are supplemented by more than seven million reservists.

However, it’s uncertain how far the nation’s AI development is going.

Despite sanctions, a report from independent analysis group 38 North found that North Korea has continued to work with academics across the US, China, and South Korea on cross-border collaborative AI research, suggesting that it is making “substantial efforts” to catch up with other countries in the AI race.

According to the 38 North report, China, one of the most dominant AI players in the world, has largely played a role in those efforts.

Under Kim, Pyongyang has consistently sought to improve its relationship with Russia despite long being politically and economically dependent on China.

A mutual defense agreement signed by Kim and Vladimir Putin last year sparked controversy in the West.

Moscow may not have benefited from the deal as much as Pyongyang did.

A German think tank reported recently that despite giving North Korea nearly $10 billion in weapons to Moscow and tens of thousands of soldiers to Russian forces in Ukraine, it only received between $457 million and $1.19 billion in rewards.

Russia’s assistance to North Korea has primarily consisted of food, fuel, air defense systems, and possibly some fighter jets.

In a clear demonstration of North Korea’s desire to conquer the world, Kim made an appearance earlier this month in Beijing along with both his Chinese and Russian counterparts, President Xi Jinping and President Putin.

North Korea “has the military means to hold US forces and US allies in Northeast Asia, and continue to improve its capability to threaten the US,” according to the DIA report from May.