Key points
- North Korea says its Zam-2.0 torpedo uses AI
- What KCNA left out about the weapon
- Why experts question North Korea's AI claims
North Korea says it has tested a new torpedo that uses artificial intelligence to detect targets and guide itself toward them, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
KCNA described the Zam-2.0 as a "super-speed, precisely guided" torpedo system but gave no technical explanation of its claimed AI capabilities. Thursday's test followed a submarine-launched cruise missile test the previous day.
What KCNA said about the test
North Korea said AI was applied to the torpedo's target detection and guidance functions. KCNA gave few other details about the weapon. Defense officials who oversaw the test said it "served as a great success foreseeing a significant change in the actual development of the Navy," KCNA reported.
"The test proved the core technology for raising the efficiency of propulsion and the performance of rocket propulsion devices," KCNA said. It added that more than 180 related tests had been carried out over the past five years.
South Korea's military, which often accuses the North of exaggerating its weapons technology, didn't immediately comment.
The torpedo follows a run of naval tests
On Wednesday, North Korea launched two types of strategic cruise missiles from what was presumed to be a 3,000-ton submarine in the East Sea. It was the North's first underwater-launched missile test in nearly three years. Pyongyang also recently commissioned two 5,000-ton destroyers, the Choe Hyon and the Kang Kon.
North Korea also tested hypersonic missiles on Sept. 20 and Oct. 3. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, claimed that the missiles tested on Oct. 3 also used artificial intelligence.
Experts question how advanced the AI is
Some experts say North Korea is likely improving its guidance software. They doubt, though, that its weapons have advanced digital capabilities such as autonomous target designation.
