Putin Warns: Western AI Monopoly is “Dangerous and Unacceptable”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed his intention to support a national strategy for the advancement of artificial intelligence, stressing the need to avoid a Western monopoly.

Speaking at an artificial intelligence conference in Moscow, Putin stated that “it is necessary to use Russian solutions in creating reliable and transparent artificial intelligence systems that are also safe for humans.”

“The monopolistic dominance of such foreign technology in Russia is unacceptable, dangerous and unacceptable,” Putin said.

He noted that “many modern systems trained on Western data are intended for Western markets” and “reflect that part of Western ethics, behavioral norms and general practice that we oppose”.

In more than two decades as president, Putin has overseen a multifaceted crackdown on opposition and civil society groups and promoted “traditional values” to counter alleged Western influence — a policy that has become even more oppressive as he sends troops into Ukraine. in February 2022.

Putin warned that algorithms developed by Western platforms could lead to the digital “undoing” of Russia and its culture.

– Artificial intelligence created according to Western standards and models can be xenophobic, Putin said.

“Western search engines and generative models often work very selectively, biased, do not take into account and sometimes simply ignore and subvert Russian culture,” he said. “Simply put, the machine is given some kind of creative task and it solves it using only English data, which is convenient and useful for system developers. And so, for example, an algorithm can show the machine that Russia, our culture, science, music, literature simply do not exist.

He promised to pour additional resources into the development of supercomputers and other technologies to boost national AI research.

“We are talking about expanding basic and applied research in the field of generative artificial intelligence and large language models,” Putin said.

“In the age of technological revolution, cultural and intellectual heritage is a key factor in preserving national identity and thus the diversity of our world and the stability of international relations,” Putin said. “Our traditional values, the richness and beauty of Russian languages and the languages of other Russian peoples should form the basis of our development,” helping to create “reliable, transparent, and secure artificial intelligence systems.”

Putin emphasized that it would be impossible to ban the development of artificial intelligence, but pointed out that it is important to ensure the necessary protective measures.

“I am convinced that the future does not lie in the prohibitions of technological development, it is simply impossible,” he said. “If we ban something, it will develop elsewhere, and we’ll just be left behind, that’s all.”

Putin added that the global community will be able to draw up safety guidelines for artificial intelligence when it fully understands the risks.

“When they feel the threat of its uncontrolled spread, uncontrolled activity in this area, the desire to reach an agreement immediately comes,” he said.