This photo captured from the website of Voice of Korea, a Pyongyang external propaganda outlet, Feb. 22, shows learning material on ChatGPT's functionalities used at North Korea's Kim Il Sung University. Yonhap

North Korea is apparently using ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) service developed by OpenAI of the United States, in its higher education AI studies, according to a media report Saturday.

According to the report from Voice of Korea, a Pyongyang external propaganda outlet, members of an AI research institute at Kim Il Sung University were seen learning about ChatGPT and its functionalities.

Learning material used by the institute explained how ChatGPT generates text based on user input. Given North Korea's heavily restricted internet access, it is unclear whether researchers have direct access to the service.

Han Chol-jin, a researcher at Kim Il Sung University, said the institute is focused on teaching ways to understand and acquire advanced technology and adapt it for domestic use.

Earlier this month, The Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper based in Japan, reported on global AI developments and the growing concerns and restrictions surrounding China's DeepSeek.

The outlet criticized Western restrictions on Chinese AI technologies, claiming they are part of an effort to limit China's technological growth. It also stated that China has developed a low-cost AI model comparable to ChatGPT without advanced semiconductors. (Yonhap)