N. Korea Develops AI Robot for Children’s Education

The robots were developed by Pyongyang Teacher Training College using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korean kindergartens and elementary schools have started to use robots for education.

Voice of Korea, Pyongyang’s state-run radio station, posted a video on its official website on Thursday in which students were seen speaking to a robot while looking up at the robot’s ‘face’, or scanning cards with the robot.

The radio station explained that the robots use voice and facial recognition technology to communicate with children, while making scientific assessments of children’s intellectual capability.

The robots were developed by Pyongyang Teacher Training College using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Designed specifically for young children, the robots took on friendly shapes, such as pencils, houses, or cats, for children to enjoy.

Kim Song-il, who spearheaded the robots’ development, said that robots “helped stimulate children’s curiosity, raising levels of concentration as well as educational effectiveness.”

“Educational robots can be used for teaching abacus and foreign languages at kindergartens, or for teaching comprehensive curricula or subject-based curricula, such as mathematics and physics, at elementary schools,” Kim added.

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)