Putin is building an AI alliance to counter the West — here’s why

Russia hopes to support countries in the Global South through artificial intelligence. The question is where the resources will come from.

Thomas Vanhove/t-online

Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in global development at the “Journey to Artificial Intelligence” international conference in Moscow on Monday.

He stressed Russia's willingness to share its knowledge and technology with other countries, especially partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere.

AI should not only understand Russian

Countries such as the Eurasian Economic Union, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are creating promising economic sectors and introducing innovations. Russia actively supports their efforts by providing AI-based products as well as technical and advisory assistance.

The Kremlin ruler said that algorithms that generate models should be developed not only in Russian but also in other languages.

As part of the meeting, the President also announced the establishment of an international alliance of national AI associations and development agencies from BRICS and other interested countries.

What's the problem?

Sanctions block microchip imports

But Putin won't have it that easy. Western sanctions aimed at limiting Russia's access to technology to hamper its war in Ukraine have caused the world's top microchip producers to halt exports to Russia. This has significantly limited the country’s ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender and organizer of AI conferences, plays a central role in the country’s AI development. but how German Gref, CEO of Sberbank As acknowledged last year, graphics processing units (GPUs) — the microprocessors that form the basis of AI development — are among the hardest to come by.

The largest chipmakers are Intel, Samsung and Qualcomm – and they hardly supply Putin with their products. He has to buy it from the gray market in a third country – and charges a surcharge.

Artificial Intelligence Development Alliance was established

On Wednesday, the Bank of Russia announced that the national artificial intelligence associations of BRICS countries such as Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, as well as Serbia, Indonesia, and other countries have joined the “Artificial Intelligence Alliance Network.” The network should promote joint research in the fields of technology and AI regulation and create opportunities for the distribution of AI products in member countries’ markets.

The United States and China are currently the world's leading artificial intelligence powers. US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed a “Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency” to the White House to ensure that the United States remains the richest and most technologically advanced country in the world.

How far is Russia?

Russia is one of ten countries, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom and Israel, that are developing their own generative AI models.

Moscow-based consulting firm Yakov and Partners, run by former McKinsey employees, said Russia has the potential to play a larger role in artificial intelligence. However, it is questionable whether it will also provide the necessary hardware.

Russia predicts that the application of artificial intelligence technology in various fields will increase gross domestic product (GDP) by 11.2 trillion rubles (106.4 billion euros) by 2030. Citing information from the Kremlin, Reuters reported that 80% of Russian workers should have artificial intelligence skills by 2030.

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(t-online/dsc)

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