Russia Aims to Boost Global AI Position by 2030 Despite Western Sanctions

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Alexander Vedyakhin, first deputy CEO of Sberbank, believes Russia can significantly improve its AI ranking through focus on generative AI and supportive regulation, despite Western sanctions limiting computing power.

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Russia's AI Ambitions Amid Sanctions

Alexander Vedyakhin, first deputy CEO of Sberbank, Russia's largest lender, has expressed confidence in the country's ability to significantly improve its position in global AI rankings by 2030. Despite facing Western sanctions, Vedyakhin believes Russia can achieve this through focused development in generative AI and supportive regulation

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Current AI Landscape and Challenges

Russia currently ranks 31st out of 83 countries in the Global AI Index by UK-based Tortoise Media, which measures AI implementation, innovation, and investment. This places Russia behind not only the United States and China but also fellow BRICS members India and Brazil

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Vedyakhin acknowledged that Russia is lagging 6 to 9 months behind the United States and China in AI development. Western sanctions have further limited the country's capacity to boost its computing power, a crucial element in AI advancement

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Strategies to Overcome Limitations

To address these challenges, Russia is adopting several strategies:

  1. Focusing on talent: "We are trying to compensate for the shortage [of computing power] with our talented scientists and engineers," Vedyakhin stated

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  2. Prioritizing smart AI models: Rather than competing with the U.S. and China in building giant data centers, Russia will concentrate on developing smart AI models similar to Meta's Llama

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  3. Emphasizing language models: Vedyakhin stressed the importance of Russian language generative AI models for technological sovereignty

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National AI Development

Vedyakhin emphasized the importance of national AI development, stating, "Any country that sees itself as independent on the world stage should have its own large language model"

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. Russia is among ten countries actively developing their own national generative AI models.

Sberbank's Role in Russian AI Development

Sberbank, as Russia's largest lender, is spearheading AI development in the country. The bank's involvement underscores the strategic importance of AI in Russia's economic and technological landscape

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As Russia navigates the challenges posed by Western sanctions and global competition in AI, its focus on generative AI and regulatory support may prove crucial in reshaping its position in the international AI arena by 2030.

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