Although Russia does not know how to commercialize technological advances, its success in artificial intelligence research cannot be denied, writes journalist Leonid Bershidsky in his article for Bloomberg. In his opinion, artificial intelligence is a dangerous weapon, and Elon Musk is not in vain that he fears that, developing in this area, Russia and China will bring the world to the third world.
Elon Musk is worried that states such as Russia and China are seeking artificial intelligence supremacy and could "reignite a third world war." As journalist Leonid Bershidsky writes in his article for Bloomberg, Musk's attention was drawn to Vladimir Putin's recent remark about artificial intelligence: "Whoever becomes the leader in this area (artificial intelligence. - InoTV) will be the ruler of the world." "Begins …" - Musk wrote on his Twitter account.
“In general, Russia does not“start”anything when it comes to artificial intelligence,” Bershidsky said. Artificial intelligence is usually talked about in the context of big companies in Silicon Valley or the best universities in the United States, and although the Russians work there, they are not among those who make important breakthroughs in this area or invest heavily in it.
Russia does not know how to commercialize and promote technical achievements. Prism, an AI-powered application that redraws photographs to look like artists' paintings, took over the post-Soviet space and even received some attention in the United States, but did not become a global phenomenon. Other Russian startups using artificial intelligence are known only to experts, and although companies such as Yandex and Mail.ru have invested a lot in artificial intelligence research and released products using neural networks, they cannot compete with Western companies.
And yet, according to Bershidsky, many people in Russia study artificial intelligence. One of these researchers is Alexei Samsonovich from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, who is developing an "intelligent" robot with an emotional component.
Russia also received a loan from the BRICS Development Bank for a project to use artificial intelligence in Russian courts.
As the author of the article notes, in recent months, reports have circulated in the state media in Russia that the armed forces may begin to use artificial intelligence. So, for example, artificial intelligence can be used to control fighters, as well as in drones, missiles and the combat module of a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
The details of these projects were not disclosed, and the media may exaggerate their importance for propaganda purposes, but Russia is "known for its experiments with network-centric warfare" - for example, during the military operation in Syria. Therefore, writes Bershidsky, the introduction of artificial intelligence is a "logical step."
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It is likely that, as in Soviet times, the use of artificial intelligence for military purposes in Russia is ahead of its use for consumer purposes. With guaranteed government funding, the Russian armed forces face fewer restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence than Russian private companies or academic researchers.
Artificial intelligence is far more dangerous as a weapon than as a potential replacement for the human brain in civilian applications. In this sense, one should take seriously Musk's fears, as well as Putin's words about world domination based on artificial intelligence, journalist Leonid Bershidsky said.