“No way to avoid the attack”: North Korea launches an AI-guided ballistic missile

On Sunday, October 4, North Korea’s official media announced that its leader Kim Jong Un had overseen the launch of a ballistic missile, AFP reported. They added that the missile had used artificial intelligence in order to “alter its low-altitude flight trajectory,” said Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader.For her, it is « impossible to avoid » the missile.

This ballistic missile can change its trajectory thanks to AI

Kim Yo Jong said that this « intermediate-range strategic missile » was « capable of altering its low-altitude flight path and that AI had been incorporated into it ». No other details were provided about the use of artificial intelligence. It is therefore unclear which model is involved, particularly whether it is an open-source model or one developed by Pyongyang. She only provocatively pointed out that « there is no way to avoid an attack by this type of missile ». As for Kim Jong-un, « no country in the world could gain access to such technology for at least several years ».

Earlier in the day, South Korea had announced that its enemy had launched a ballistic missile “from the Wonsan region, in North Korea, toward the East Sea,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. France24 reported that “the projectile fell into the sea approximately 700 km from its launch point,” and Seoul increased its surveillance. It should be said that this launch came amid a resurgence in tensions between the two Koreas. Two anti-personnel mines had wounded three South Korean soldiers on September 21, in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries.

North Korea is also betting on artificial intelligence, including in its military

Like every country in the world, North Korea is interested in artificial intelligence, and not only to improve its productivity. We knew about AI for piloting robots or drones, and now it has made its way into ballistic missiles. Although, according to Hong Sung-pyo, the lead researcher at the Korean Institute for Military Affairs, it is still too early to know whether Kim Jong-un and his sister’s claims are accurate.

Last September, the leader had visited several defense industrial sites, according to the Washington Examiner. It was an opportunity for him to advocate using artificial intelligence in offensive and defensive weapons, particularly to automate them. A promise he had already made last February, and it does not concern only hacking. According to the newspaper, some experts suggest that the regime could seek to develop AI-controlled drones, as is happening on the ground in Ukraine.

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Source: Le Figaro