Russia plans to develop its own artificial intelligence model, which it intends to align with the “traditional spiritual and moral values” imposed by the Kremlin. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media may be responsible for verifying how “correctly” such a system thinks.
Russian developers are tasked with creating an AI model that aligns with the Kremlin’s official ideology. “Developers will have to ensure that the AI model conforms to Russia’s ‘traditional spiritual and moral values.’ “The criteria for verifying whether the machine thinks ‘correctly’ enough will be developed by the repressive Russian agency, the FSB, in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Digital Development,” the Center stated.
In other words, this is not simply about creating a Russian counterpart to popular AI systems. Moscow also wants to control what answers such a model will provide and what views it will deem acceptable.
What They Want to Train the Russian AI On
There has been previous discussion in Russia about creating its own artificial intelligence system. In particular, it was stated that it could be trained on the works of Russian writers, philosophers, and ideologists. Among the authors mentioned in this context were Fyodor Dostoevsky and the contemporary Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin.
In Russia, this idea is explained by the desire to create technology that will not depend on “foreign Western values.” At the same time, Russian authorities are increasingly trying to control the information space within the country. That is why, according to the Center for Policy Analysis, the creation of “sovereign” AI may signify not so much technological independence as the state’s ability to control the system’s operation.
“Sovereign” means controlled
The Center for Digital Policy (CDP) has pointed out a contradiction in the Russian approach. Moscow simultaneously criticizes Western technologies while continuing to use them. “The paradox is that Russians themselves continue to actively use Western technologies, which they simultaneously call for banning. Because, in the Russian understanding, ‘sovereign’ increasingly means not something of their own, but something that can be fully controlled,” the agency explained.
For artificial intelligence, such control can be particularly important. After all, AI’s responses depend on the data it is trained on, the system’s operating rules, and the restrictions set by developers. If the state determines these rules, the model can be configured to avoid topics undesirable to the authorities or to present events from a perspective favorable to the Kremlin.
Russia has already begun regulating AI
Separately, the Center for Digital Policy noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already signed a law regulating artificial intelligence in Russia. Now Moscow wants artificial intelligence to be not only technologically independent from other countries but also aligned with the official views of the Russian government.
In this way, Russia is attempting to combine the development of new technology with state control and its own ideology. It remains to be seen how successful this project will be and exactly what kinds of AI systems will be created. Moscow’s plans were reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
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