AI and Autonomy in Russia Issue 30, January 24, 2022

The Artificial Intelligence in Russia newsletter features a summary of recent Russian-language reports on the Russian AI and autonomy ecosystem, divided into the following sections:

• Governance and Legal Developments
• Military and Security Developments
• Corporate and Market Developments
• Education and Training Developments
• International Collaboration

The following preview shows the first item in this issue:  

1. Government survey of Russian AI workforce points to challenges in sector

According to a survey conducted by the Analytical Center of the Russian Government across Russian AI experts and workforce in November and December 2021, 59 percent of respondents stated that AI technologies are developed in Russia on par with or ahead of other countries’ leaders in the field, while 36 percent maintained that Russia is significantly behind. The survey also reportedly found that 64 percent of those working in the field are satisfied with work conditions in Russia. At the same time, the survey pointed to the following challenges in the sector: lack of qualified human capital, inadequacy of venture funding and support for startups, dependence on imports of technology from abroad, low penetration of Russian products on foreign markets, lack of protection of intellectual property, and weakness of the legal framework. The survey was conducted in two parts: the first one involved students and specialists responding to an online survey; the second involved in-depth interviews with corporate executives and scientific leaders in the field.