AI opens ‘new chapter’ of human existence – Putin

Humanity is stepping into a new chapter of its existence by using artificial intelligence in spheres like science, education and healthcare, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at an AI conference in Moscow, calling it an “obvious” development.

Speaking at the plenary session of the Artificial Intelligence Journey 2023 forum, the Russian leader noted that the new technology was increasingly making its way into all sectors of the country’s economy and social sphere.

As one example, Putin pointed to how AI was currently being used in the fuel and energy sector to significantly reduce the costs of well development and was solving complex problems of safe logistics along the Northern Sea Route.

The president said there was a “growing trust” among people for the “revolutionary technology.”

“Thank God, our citizens understand that AI makes everyday processes simpler and more convenient, improves the quality of management and mechanisms for providing public services,” he said.

Putin went on to note the rapid development of generative AI, capable of creating images and text, calling the advent of such technology an “outstanding achievement of the human mind.” 

He admitted, however, that such developments also raise questions about the ethical, moral and social implications of such technology.

“There are even proposals to pause the further work of generative and so-called strong artificial intelligence,” Putin said, but insisted that the future “does not lie in bans” on technology development. “It is simply impossible to ban it, technology will develop anyway. If we ban something, it will be developed elsewhere,” he said.

The president pointed out that, if Russia were to try to halt the development of AI technology, the country would lag behind the rest of the world, saying this opinion is shared by “everyone” who has the opportunity to develop AI.

As for the ethical regulation of technological progress related to artificial intelligence, Putin suggested that such guidelines should be set by traditional values and culture.

Modern Western AI systems and search engines, according to Putin, are primarily intended for the Western market and often work in a very “selective and biased manner, not taking into account, and sometimes simply ignoring and canceling, for instance, Russian culture.”

He said that, in an era of technological revolution, “it is the cultural and spiritual heritage that is the key factor in preserving national identity.” He stressed the importance of using Russian solutions to create “reliable, transparent and safe artificial intelligence systems for humans.”