Researchers in their 10s, 20s leading North Korea's AI technology: state media

People watch a large screen at the 2018 national exhibition of IT successes at the Three-Revolution Exhibition House in Pyongyang. The Oct. 15-19 exhibition was titled "The age of knowledge-based economy and IT enthusiasm." KCNA-Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

Researchers in their 10s and 20s are leading North Korea's development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the country's state-run media said.

DPRK Today, a propaganda website, published an article Wednesday introducing recent trends in the country's AI field, mainly led by its premier Kim Il Sung University.

"The majority of the research groups that are pioneering AI technologies are skilled researchers who have received special education regarding information technology since their childhood," it said. "Experts in their 10s and 20s are in charge of many fields of artificial intelligence."

The propaganda site also promoted the information technology (IT) research center of the university's high-tech research institute, one of the North's top 10 IT enterprises and its AI pioneer researcher.

According to the DPRK Today report, the research group has developed Korean-language voice and document recognition programs and is also developing more advanced programs for simultaneous interpretation and free talking and a handwriting recognition program.

It also said the researchers have recently launched an integrated search system on the country's isolated intranet, improving the speed and accuracy of a search by aggregating data dispersed throughout "hundreds of websites" on the net.

On Nov. 13, the ruling Workers' Party's mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun reported the research group has developed an "intelligence speaker" that can recognize a user's voice and an auto-control fan, air conditioner, television and light.