Putin Orders Russia-China Collaboration on AI Development

Putin orders Russian government and top bank to develop AI cooperation with China

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's government and the country's biggest bank, Sberbank, to build cooperation with China in artificial intelligence. Putin's instructions were published on the Kremlin's website on Wednesday, three weeks after he announced that Russia would team up with BRICS partners and other countries to develop AI. He told the government and Sberbank, which is spearheading Russia's AI efforts, to "ensure further co-operation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence". Western sanctions intended to restrict Moscow's access to the technologies it needs to sustain its war against Ukraine have resulted in the world's major producers of microchips halting exports to Russia, severely limiting its AI ambitions. Sberbank CEO German Gref acknowledged in 2023 that graphics processing units (GPUs), the microchips that underpin AI development, were the trickiest hardware for Russia to replace. By partnering with non-Western countries, Russia is seeking to challenge the dominance of the United States in one of the most promising and crucial technologies of the 21st century. Putin said on Dec. 11 that a new AI Alliance Network would bring together specialists from BRICS countries and other interested states. Russia currently ranks 31st of 83 countries by AI implementation, innovation and investment on UK-based Tortoise Media's Global AI Index, well behind not only the United States and China but also fellow BRICS members India and Brazil. (Reporting by Ksenia Orlova, editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Putin orders Russian government and top bank to develop AI cooperation with China

MOSCOW, Jan 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's government and the country's biggest bank, Sberbank (SBER.MM), opens new tab, to build cooperation with China in artificial intelligence. Putin's instructions were published on the Kremlin's website on Wednesday, three weeks after he announced that Russia would team up with BRICS partners and other countries to develop AI. He told the government and Sberbank, which is spearheading Russia's AI efforts, to "ensure further co-operation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence". Western sanctions intended to restrict Moscow's access to the technologies it needs to sustain its war against Ukraine have resulted in the world's major producers of microchips halting exports to Russia, severely limiting its AI ambitions. Sberbank CEO German Gref acknowledged in 2023 that graphics processing units (GPUs), the microchips that underpin AI development, were the trickiest hardware for Russia to replace. By partnering with non-Western countries, Russia is seeking to challenge the dominance of the United States in one of the most promising and crucial technologies of the 21st century. Putin said on Dec. 11 that a new AI Alliance Network would bring together specialists from BRICS countries and other interested states. Russia currently ranks 31st of 83 countries by AI implementation, innovation and investment on UK-based Tortoise Media's Global AI Index, well behind not only the United States and China but also fellow BRICS members India and Brazil. Reporting by Ksenia Orlova, editing by Mark Trevelyan Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Artificial IntelligenceVladimir Putin

Putin orders Russian government and top bank to develop AI cooperation with China

A screen displays a broadcast address by Russia's President Putin at the VDNKh Exhibition Centre on New Year's Eve. TASS President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's government and the country's biggest bank, Sberbank, to build cooperation with China in artificial intelligence. Putin's instructions were published on the Kremlin's website on Wednesday, three weeks after he announced that Russia would team up with BRICS partners and other countries to develop AI. He told the government and Sberbank, which is spearheading Russia's AI efforts, to "ensure further co-operation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence". Western sanctions intended to restrict Moscow's access to the technologies it needs to sustain its war against Ukraine have resulted in the world's major producers of microchips halting exports to Russia, severely limiting its AI ambitions. Sberbank CEO German Gref acknowledged in 2023 that graphics processing units (GPUs), the microchips that underpin AI development, were the trickiest hardware for Russia to replace. By partnering with non-Western countries, Russia is seeking to challenge the dominance of the United States in one of the most promising and crucial technologies of the 21st century. Putin said on Dec. 11 that a new AI Alliance Network would bring together specialists from BRICS countries and other interested states. Russia currently ranks 31st of 83 countries by AI implementation, innovation and investment on UK-based Tortoise Media's Global AI Index, well behind not only the United States and China but also fellow BRICS members India and Brazil. (Reuters)

Putin orders Russian bank to cooperate with China on AI

This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community. According to Russian state news agency TASS, President Putin has ordered the government and Sberbank to "ensure further co-operation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence". The move comes amid ongoing sanctions from Western countries over Russia's war with Ukraine. The world's major producers of microchips have halted any exports to Russia. In early December, Putin announced that Russia would be teaming up with BRICS partners, which includes China, to develop an AI Alliance Network to challenge the dominance of the US and other Western countries. Back in 2023, Sberbank's CEO German Gref conceded that the bank was struggling to replace graphic processing units which are essential for the development of AI technology. It is not the first time that Putin has turned to his BRICS partners in a bid to develop alternatives to Western banking initiatives. In October, Russia called for an alternative to international payment system Swift.

China and Russia Forge Major Tech Collaboration To Challenge US

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government and Sberbank, Moscow's largest state-owned bank, to collaborate with China on developing AI technology in what is likely an effort to challenge the U.S., according to Reuters. In instructions on the Kremlin's website published on Wednesday, Putin wrote that the entities should "ensure further cooperation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence." Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the U.K. for comment via email. Why It Matters China is one of the leading world powers in terms of AI development, so the country could aid Russia in developing AI-powered weapons and more, adding to the war with Ukraine. The battle between countries around the world to become the top AI developers will likely become the focus of the next five years, as investment and research into AI grows and it plays an increasingly significant role in politics, economics, and society at large. What To Know Putin recently announced that Russia will work with other countries who are members of BRICS, an international alliance comprising member nations including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, to develop AI. In doing so, the Russian president said that he wants to create an AI alliance, which is meant to combat U.S. advancements in AI development. Sanctions imposed by the West limit Russia's ability to pursue its AI objectives, as Moscow is unable to access the technologies needed to explore the tech, including microchips. In 2023, Sberbank CEO German Gref noted that Russia's lack of access to graphics processing units, the microchips that support AI development, make progress in this realm difficult. Russian efforts to develop AI have been focused on implementing the new technology in the combat environment, to aid its war effort with Ukraine, according to the Center for a New American Security. The Russian government is also reportedly focused particularly on AI development for information and cyber operations. In its nearly four-year war with Ukraine, Moscow has used AI on the battlefield, as the Russians have utilized AI-powered anti-drone devices, and for military training, cyber warfare, and operations with unmanned systems, according to the International Center for Defense and Security. China, like Russia, has also been developing AI for combat purposes and has begun to develop fully autonomous AI-powered "killer robots." Beijing and Moscow have reportedly already begun to collaborate on developing AI weaponry. The U.K.'s Tortoise Media's Global AI Index for 2024 places the U.S. at the top of AI innovation, with Russia ranking 31 out of 83 countries; China ranks second. Another AI index report from Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered AI also found that the U.S. outpaces China in terms of AI development, and that the "gap is widening," as the U.S. pushes ahead regarding research output and private investment. What People Are Saying In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jacob Charite, a pro-Russia user, wrote: "Putin instructs Cabinet to provide support to Russian regions in using safe artificial intelligence technologies in public administration-Kremlin. "The head of state also instructed the government and Sberbank to ensure cooperation with China in conducting technological research in the field of AI." What Happens Next Russia and China's collaboration on AI development could lead to the deployment of "killer robots" at some point in the future as the war progresses, and only time will tell how this AI development will affect Moscow's war strategy. Related Articles