Osegi
AI·2 min read

ARGO-X: Conan's AI analyst shows both sides of a missile question

Asked whether North Korea would fire a ballistic missile within three days, Conan Technology's ARGO-X laid out evidence for and against, then declined to pick a side.

A presenter demonstrates an intelligence analysis dashboard showing side-by-side evidence, a map and satellite imagery on a large screen at a defense AI conference.
Image: zdnet.co.kr
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Ask an AI whether North Korea will launch a ballistic missile in the next three days and you would expect a confident answer. Conan Technology's new tool, ARGO-X, gave none. It listed the reasons a launch looked likely, listed the reasons it didn't, and held back its judgment.

The South Korean company showed the intelligence analysis platform on 13 November at the 5th Defense AI Summit 2026 in Yongsan, Seoul. Some media reports pointed toward a launch, while an analysis based on past launch frequency pointed the other way. The screen showed both columns side by side. The demonstrator, Jo In-ji, who heads Conan's defense strategy division, said that connecting military intelligence would give analysts more evidence to confirm or rebut a launch. Warnings themselves are still issued by officials following set procedures.

What is ARGO-X?

ARGO-X pulls together material scattered across many sources to help military intelligence analysts. Searching, comparing and writing up the results as a report all happen in one place. Conan plans a full launch in December.

In the demo, a search on Kim Song-nam, the Workers' Party official who handles relations with China, turned into a report with tables and images. A button beside each sentence reveals its source, so an analyst can check that the source really supports the claim and that fact and interpretation haven't blurred together. The system also uses an ontology, a way of mapping how people, facilities, equipment and events relate, so an analyst can follow links from one person to related sites or incidents.

What can it do with satellite images?

The tool compared images of the same place on different dates. Between 11 September and 6 October, it flagged a change along roughly 240 metres on the west side of a Pyongyang parade rehearsal ground. That was four days before the party's founding anniversary. But spotting a change does not reveal how many troops or vehicles were involved, Jo said. Later public material suggested smaller numbers than before and no signs of preparation at Kim Il Sung Square, which pointed to a low chance of a large parade.

A surveillance video view, with a map of tracked targets and an AI-written situation summary, was also shown. It only works fully if the connected sensors can detect and identify targets automatically.

The demo used public information, not military databases. Conan says it will test and refine features based on feedback from users. Jo said the goal is an "AI staff officer" beside the analyst, not a replacement.

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Tags:conan technologyargo-xmilitary ainorth koreasatellite imageryintelligence analysis

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