North Korea is elevating its already formidable cyber operations by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools under a new research center, according to a U.S. cybersecurity firm, marking a “decisive evolution” that greatly expands the threats it poses in other domains.

In a report published on Wednesday, DTEX Systems warned that Pyongyang’s integration of AI is accelerating its varied cyber threats at an “alarming speed and scale,” fueled by the formation of the new Research Center 227 and increasingly skilled operatives doing damage to global institutions.

“The DPRK cyber threat is no longer just a