Russia to develop “traditional Values” AI, take jabs at Grok and China
Russia and Belarus plan to build “traditional values” - based AI to counter U.S. and Chinese influence. While still reliant on Chinese tech, Russia ranks low in global AI indexes. Sanctions, brain drain, and chip dependency drive its $2.5B push for AI self-reliance.
Forbes Russia writes that Russia and Belarus will aim to develop their own AI chatbots, based on “traditional values”, fearing the influence of American and Chinese AI products. The statement came from Sergey Glazyev, Deputy State Secretary of what is called the “Union State of Belarus and Russia”.
He also noted that “one of the Western chatbots has recently 'fallen into racism, Nazism, and glorification of fascism’”, likely taking a jab at the recent scandal involving Elon Musk’s Grok posting antisemitic content.
According to Glazyev, young people mainly use American or Chinese AI chatbots, which are “different”:
“Not everyone realizes that by trusting AI, we are, to a large extent, subjecting our consciousness to manipulation”
Russia still relies on Chinese AI capabilities (and sanctions’ circumventions)
Russian and Belarusian ambitions aside, Russia continues to heavily depend on Chinese AI models and technologies.
Earlier this year, Vladimir Putin ordered state-owned Sberbank to collaborate with China on developing Russian AI capabilities. Previously, Russia had also expressed its intention to deepen AI cooperation with BRICS countries as part of a broader effort to counter American dominance in the field.
Russia’s global AI standing, limitations, and plans
Tortoise Media’s Global AI Index ranks Russia #31 worldwide, scoring lowest in talent, infrastructure, and research - and highest in development and government strategy.
Naturally, Russia’s IT and tech brain drain is taking a serious toll on its AI capabilities - various reports indicate that many professionals have relocated since the start of the war in Ukraine. However, relocation doesn’t necessarily mean that most IT experts and scientists have stopped working for Russian companies or supporting Russian projects.
Sanctions and tighter U.S. controls on AI chip exports are making things even harder - Russia remains heavily dependent on foreign-made AI chips. While China and other countries have helped Russia circumvent sanctions in the past (AEI reports that in 2023, 88% of chips acquired by Russia were shipped from China), this may not last. If the updated U.S. AI diffusion strategy continues limiting exports to China and its allies, that supply route could soon be squeezed too.
Russia understands this and is investing in its own AI chip capabilities. According to Data Center Dynamics, Russia plans to reduce its reliance on foreign AI chips by 70% by 2030 and is set to invest at least $2.5 billion to make that happen.
