Russia has the potential to boost its global AI ranking by 2030 despite Western sanctions, leveraging talented developers and domestic generative AI models, according to Alexander Vedyakhin, Sberbank’s first deputy CEO.
Sberbank is spearheading AI development in Russia, which 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.
“I am confident that Russia can significantly improve its current positions in international rankings by 2030 through its own developments and supportive regulation in the field of generative AI,” Vedyakhin said in an interview.
“The sanctions were aimed at limiting Russia’s computing power, but we are trying to compensate for the shortage with our talented scientists and engineers,” he said.
Vedyakhin said that Russia will not compete with the U.S. and China in building giant data centres.
Instead, Russia will focus on development of smart AI models similar to Meta’s Llama.
He said that Russian language generative AI models guaranteed technological sovereignty.
“I believe that any country that sees itself as independent on the world stage should have its own large language model,” Vedyakhin said.
Russia is among ten countries, which are developing its own national generative AI models.
President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would develop AI with BRICS partners and other countries, in a bid to challenge the dominance of the United States in one of the most promising technologies of the 21st century.
Vedyakhin said that China and especially Europe, were losing their advantage in AI due to excessive regulation.
“If we deprive our scientists and major corporations of the right to experiment now, it will halt the development of technology. As soon as bans appear, we may start losing the AI race in artificial intelligence,” Vedyakhin said.
Many AI developers left Russia in recent years, especially fleeing mobilisation drive for the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Vedyakhin said.
He added that some AI developers are now returning home, lured by opportunities in Russia’s AI sector.
(With inputs from Reuters)
