MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need for Russia to challenge the Western “monopoly” on artificial intelligence (AI), citing concerns about biased algorithms and the exclusion of Russian culture in Western-developed models.
Speaking at an AI conference in Moscow on Friday, Putin expressed the view that some Western search engines and generative models work selectively, often disregarding Russian culture.
Putin stated, “The monopolistic domination of such foreign creations in Russia is unacceptable, dangerous, and inadmissible,” highlighting the importance of Russia being at the forefront of AI development.
The race to advance AI technology has intensified globally, with countries like Russia and China allocating substantial resources to compete with the United States’ dominance in the field.
Putin Vows to Compete Western AI Monopoly
The Russian President pointed out that many modern AI systems are trained on Western data tailored for Western markets, making them less sensitive to Russian cultural nuances. Putin’s remarks align with his ongoing push for Russia to reduce dependence on Western technology.
Russia has faced setbacks in its tech industry due to the Ukraine conflict, including the departure of IT workers to avoid mobilization and restrictions on accessing computer parts due to Western sanctions. In September, Putin directed the government to increase funding for the development of supercomputers and AI research as part of a broader effort to boost Russia’s technological independence.
The success of ChatGPT, a generative chatbot, has intensified global competition in the AI space. In response, Russia’s largest banking company, Sber, announced the launch of its own conversational AI app called “Gigachat” in April, albeit in a test mode.
