Overview

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a plan to boost the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in Russia, emphasizing the need to prevent a Western monopoly on the technology.
• Putin warned that algorithms developed by Western platforms could lead to a digital 'cancellation' of Russia and its culture, and pledged to pour additional resources into the development of supercomputers and other technologies to intensify national AI research.
• Putin's announcement comes in the wake of the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has prompted many talented specialists to leave Russia and triggered Western sanctions that have hindered the country's high-tech imports.
• Putin stated that trying to ban AI development would be impossible, but emphasized the importance of ensuring necessary safeguards.
• In the near future, a presidential decree will be signed approving a new version of the national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence, which will include expanding fundamental and applied research in the field of generative artificial intelligence and large language models.