Killer drones, a staple of doomsday novels from the vivid imaginations of science fiction writers, might be closer to reality than we think.
This week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered some chilling proof. He was pictured inspecting what state media calls “suicide attack drones” equipped with artificial intelligence (AI).
A large drone in one photo reportedly is a model similar to the RQ-4 Global Hawk, America’s surveillance aircraft, experts say. The “new-type strategic reconnaissance drone” can track and monitor various targets and troop activity on land and at sea, officials in Pyongyang claim.
The use of AI to bolster the military has been a long-term plan of Kim, who has stressed the importance of “keeping with the trend of modern warfare in which the competition for using intelligent drones as a major means of military power is being accelerated and the range of their use is steadily expanding in military activities,” according to a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report.
To that end, Kim is pressing for North Korea to produce more reconnaissance and attack drones. He said developing unmanned control and AI capability will be a top priority for the nation’s military, state media reported.
The deadly technology, known as loitering munitions for their ability to crash into targets with built-in warheads, was likely developed with help from ally Russia, security experts said. North Korea, which introduced an attack drone prototype at a weapons exhibition in Pyongyang in 2023, has vowed to work toward “introducing artificial intelligence technology” into weapons, and Kim has agreed to expand production of the drones, according to KCNA.
North Korea’s AI defense-related designs extend beyond killer drones: Kim has also discussed the concept of the country’s first airborne early-warning aircraft that would resemble a commercial plane, with radar to provide an aerial overview of a combat area.
“North Korea is hinging very clearly on a drone future for its military,” James Patton Rogers, executive director of the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, told the BBC. “The issue is whether or not these algorithms are robust enough, secure enough, advanced enough to make decisions that don’t escalate the delicate security situation on the Korean peninsula.”
Whether Kim delivers on his drone dreams is unclear. Security experts claim North Korea has yet to show it has mastered such technologies. But Kim provided some evidence this week that the country’s intentions are clear and determined.
North Korea’s warfare strategy is not some anomaly. For more than two years, the U.S. Department of Defense has escalated its efforts to develop AI-powered autonomous weapons — derided by critics as slaughter bots, killer drones, or killer robots — to fortify defenses against rivals Russia and China.
Indeed, the war in Ukraine has thrown an alarming spotlight on the use of autonomous weapons in combat, according to Defense One. Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea, for example, are deploying AI interception systems to detect and thwart attacks.
