On May 30 this year, a meeting on the development of technologies in the field of artificial intelligence was held on the territory of Sberbank's School 21. The meeting can be considered a bit epochal - firstly, it was led by the President of Russia V.V. Putin, and attended by presidents, CEOs and deputy CEOs of state corporations and large commercial companies. Secondly, neither more nor less was discussed, but the national Strategy for the development of artificial intelligence technologies, prepared by Sberbank, which was reported by G.O. Gref.
The meeting seemed interesting to me, although long, almost an hour and a half, so I offer a kind of digest of the main statements and opinions of the participants. The quotations were chosen as the most key, as it seems to me, on the topic, so as not to dig into the details. The numbers in front of the names of the speakers mean the time code for the video, links to the video are at the end of the article.
Meeting
05:10 Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia
[…] Today I propose to discuss specific steps that will form the basis of our national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence technology.
[…] This is indeed one of the key areas of technological development that determines and will determine the future of the whole world. AI engines provide real-time, fast, optimal decision-making based on the analysis of huge amounts of information, so-called big data, which provides a huge advantage in quality and efficiency.
[…] the struggle for technological leadership, primarily in the field of AI, and you all know this very well, dear colleagues, has already become a field of global competition
[…] if someone can secure a monopoly in the field of AI - well, the consequences are clear to all of us - he will become the ruler of the world
It is no coincidence that many developed countries of the world have already adopted their action plans for the development of such technologies. And we, of course, must ensure technological sovereignty in the field of artificial intelligence. […] What is needed is universal solutions, the use of which gives the maximum effect, and in any industry.
To solve such an ambitious project in the field of artificial intelligence technologies, we objectively have good starting conditions and serious competitive advantages. […]
13:04 German Oskarovich Gref, Sberbank
[…] during this period of time we have developed not only the document itself called “Strategy”, but it is very important that we also managed to create a document called “road map” for this document. In general, today we have two draft documents that can be considered a complete document that is subject only to approval.
[…] In 2017, five countries adopted the National Strategy for the Development of AI, and during 2018-2019 already 30 countries. If this document is approved in the near future, then we will be the 31st country that has built a "road map" and declared a priority in their activities.
[In the concept of "Artificial Intelligence" we include]
- Computer vision
- natural language processing
- Speech recognition and synthesis
- Recommender systems and intelligent decision support systems
- Promising AI methods and technologies (primarily AML technologies - automated machine learning)
[…] In the process of developing the Strategy, we identified and analyzed six driving factors for the development of artificial intelligence.
- algorithms and mathematical methods;
- software;
- data, data handling, regulation and use of data;
- Hardware;
- everything related to education and personnel;
- regulation
Each of these six factors is critical. The absence of one of them creates critical risks for the system as a whole.
For each of the areas we have set goals.
- Algorithms and mathematical methods - by the age of 24, enter the top 10 countries by the number of conference participants and by the age of 30 enter the top 10 countries by the average citation level
- Development of software and technological solutions - to develop solutions that can provide superiority over a person in special tasks, and by the year 30 we must provide superiority in a wide range of tasks
- Storage and collection of data processing — create an online platform with depersonalized government data and company data, to which companies developing AI systems will have access
- Specialized hardware - creation of own architectural facilities that will be able to create the architecture of the corresponding chipsets, and, accordingly, a specialized production site that will be able to produce them.
- Personnel training — we want to enter the top 2024 countries in terms of educational programs in the field of artificial intelligence by 10. And by 2030, eliminate the shortage of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence.
- Building the Right Regulatory Framework for AI — here it is important to walk between two extremes: not to leave this area unsettled, on the other hand, to create opportunities for it to maintain its momentum of development.
We ask you to approve the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence by your decision, create an appropriate coordinating body, and instruct the Government of the Russian Federation to approve the roadmap for the development of artificial intelligence.
31:54 Maxim Alekseevich Akimov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
[…] What we are definitely not going to do is another bureaucratic construction. We think that organizational tools are created within the framework of the national program "Digital Economy". And by concentrating the resources that are currently available for this program within the framework of a separate federal project "Artificial Intelligence", we will organizationally cope with the strategic challenges that German Oskarovich spoke about.
[…] What activities could this plan include with total funding, according to our estimates, in the six-year horizon up to 90 billion rubles? … It is necessary to create a fertile ground for the development and replication of technologies, to subsidize pilot implementations, because this is a risk that private companies can and should share with public entities. Therefore, we will allocate resources to leading companies to prototype the application of artificial intelligence, creating the basis for future implementations.
[…] The public procurement system today is infinitely far away not only from the procurement of technological solutions by the public sector, but also from streaming development through fast tracks based on modern software principles in general. And in this connection, Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would ask you to instruct the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Government to deal with this issue. Special regulation is needed in this area.
[…] Together with the deputies of the Federal Assembly, we have developed amendments to the law on personal data that specify the mechanisms for depersonalization.
[…] update industry standards, including in the field of security […] predictive analytics of the operation of complex equipment […] will create opportunities for the transition to a risk-based approach in control and supervision activities.
[…] In the future, all specialties related to the adoption of significant decisions will require competencies in the field of artificial intelligence. And there is a lot of work to be done on educational standards.
[…] There is also a need for mass and deep training of civil servants. […] we will promptly form an additional federal project, prioritizing expenses. And we plan to do this no later than October 2019.
[…] We propose to determine the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media as the responsible federal executive body.
[…] On the second question:
[…] It is large Russian business that should and can be the main participant in the development of high-tech industries in the Russian Federation
[…] In agreement with the companies, the following distribution of topics is proposed.
- Sberbank will be the leader in the AI direction
- On 5th generation mobile communications technologies - Rostelecom, Rostec
- Quantum Sensors – Rostec
- Distributed Ledger Technology – Rostec
- Narrowband for the Internet of Things – Rostec
- Quantum Computing – Rosatom
- New materials – Rosatom
- Quantum communications - Russian Railways
We will receive and start implementing detailed road maps during this year.
42:20 Sergei Semenovich Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow
47:30 Kirill Alexandrovich Dmitriev, RDIF
[…] Analyzed 100 leading companies in the field of AI, selected the 20 most promising, have already approved funding in 6.
[…] Eight short sentences:
First. There are two models of data governance, the Chinese one, where the state provides more access and control over the data. Another European one, where access to data is more limited. It is the Chinese model that will allow us to move forward faster.
Second. Bringing Russian companies to the level of world leaders. Because if our companies work only for the Russian market, then they do not have enough advantages to compete in the global space. And we want to bring our companies to the world markets.
Third. It is important that our companies implement AI, and we believe that each of the large state-owned companies should have their own strategy for implementing AI
Fourth. It is possible to build consortiums with China, with the Middle East, where it is useful to have large-scale markets
Fifth. Create, together with Moscow State University, an artificial intelligence development center
Sixth. Datacenters
Seventh. There is indeed a lot of data both in Moscow, including in the Federal Tax Service, which have significant potential for using the economy, and these data can be used
We propose to support the inclusion of Sberbank in the consortium, and we recognize that Sberbank was one of the first to focus on AI, and RDIF and Gazprom Neft, which have very good experience in this area, so that they could develop and promote it together.
51:08 Alexander V. Dyukov, Gazpromneft
[…] The principal driver of AI development is demand. Demand must be formed, it must be consolidated in order for the AI development strategy to make sense. Now there is a conscious demand in such areas as banking services, media, retail, telecoms. But the volume of demand in these segments is still limited
[…] The fuel and energy complex has a number of advantages over other industries that are necessary in order to become a leader in the development of AI. The fuel and energy complex is able to generate effective demand for technologies for introducing AI technology... the tasks solved by fuel and energy companies can be replicated and scaled up in other industries.
[…] We are ready to work together with other companies and organizations on the organization strategy, and we are ready to take on the role of one of the leaders in the development of AI for the industry segment
55:56 Sergey Viktorovich Chemezov, Rostec
[…] development of specialized hardware – we have already begun to work in this direction – we have created a public-private partnership with AFK Sistema, combining all assets […]
As for AI in general, yes, I want to emphasize that this enterprise is not closed and we are ready to accept, include in this enterprise everyone who wants to develop this field of activity, who has some experience, so please. I know we have Angstrem-T, in the future I think this company can also enter our community. […]
1:01:06 Yuri Ivanovich Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
[…] I would like to see in the Strategy, of course, along with important goals, such as entering the top 10 countries by the number of articles and participation in conferences, as well as by the average citation level, to see also goals related to market share, global and domestic. It seems to me that the main task of this strategy is the dynamic introduction, I emphasize, of domestic AI solutions - this is just a complex of algorithmic, software and hardware solutions in all areas of the economy with the aim of dominating the domestic market for these products, and the forecast shows that this is a huge market , and positioning on the outside.
[…] Of course, the activities that will be planned in the Strategy will be aimed at creating these products, and this is good, I hope so. But it seems to me that the main task is to promote these products to the market, and I fully and completely agree with Alexander Valeryevich that the main task of the Strategy is to create demand.
Considering that these products are expensive, it may be necessary to think about the state order for the introduction of these products in specialized […]
1:03:43 Vladimir Putin
I fully agree, I agree, because the goals that we set for ourselves should be, including if they are not very tangible at first glance, but we need to strive to be able to measure the result of our work, this is true.
1:04:03 Arkady Yurievich Volozh, Yandex
[…] I would like that, as part of the strategy, some kind of special state program could be developed that stimulates not only materially, but, perhaps, non-financially people who return to work here. Other countries have such programs, we also need to do this.
[…] And the second aspect is the creation of conditions for testing. […] you need to train cars with real data, in real conditions, for example, drones, unmanned vehicles that walk on roads. They should go not so much to the landfills as to go out onto the roads of street use, and here it is very important that we do not regulate this. […]
Yandex needs to bring a hundred cars to the streets this year. If we take the current procedure, we just need four years to certify these machines. I would like this to be reflected in this program - tests in a real environment. Because we are talking about the fact that we will import or export these technologies in the end.
1:08:08 Dmitry Nikolaevich Peskov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Digital and Technological Development
[…] Today we rely on the data that has already been created by banks, telecoms, and the state. But there are also much larger datasets, and we see that the world's development today is turning towards such completely unexpected types of data - these are oceans, forests, people, biome, microbiome. We see a huge number of startups that today compete for traditional markets on the logic of a link between biology and artificial intelligence. Completely new types of products are emerging.
[…] It seems to me that this junction should be finalized before the formation of a DataSet not only from banks and telecoms, but also in setting tasks in scientific research, in industries, in the forest industry, in many other places in terms of the formation of new types dataset.
[…] The second is the topics related to personnel and regulation. The gap in staffing needs is now so catastrophic that we have not been able to find a single scenario in which we could close the gap even before 2030. In this sense, if we continue to balk at the idea that we can modernize the current system of educational standards, we will never get the result.
[…] We need a separate area of regulation on artificial intelligence, big data and other end-to-end technologies, which would allow us to legally launch personnel training processes within two to three months, and not within three, four, five, or six years. Once again: there is no script.
What is the problem here? The problem here is that data is really fodder. A lot of new specialties are emerging around data. […] this deepening and division of labor requires separate regulation. I would ask that we form such a contour in separate instructions, but it has not yet been finalized.
Last: of course, the entire education system needs to be changed. Today, together with colleagues from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, we are taking such a step, we are starting to introduce an educational platform for artificial intelligence at once in one hundred regional universities and we hope that it will start working as early as July this year. I also invite everyone to take part in its launch.
1:12:30 Mikhail Eduardovich Oseevsky, Rostelecom
1:13:25 Boris Olegovich Dobrodeev, Mail.Ru Group
[…] It would be very interesting for us, the company, to participate in its implementation. For us, artificial intelligence is no longer the future, it is the present. Today, more than 100 million people use our services based on artificial intelligence. And, of course, it would be very interesting for us to apply this expertise in the real economy.
[…] Every day and inside we create a large number of services and look at hundreds of startups, and we are convinced that the main issue of this market is precisely the issue of the sales market. Because already now there are not dozens, even hundreds of companies that have good technologies, but they all rest on the sales market, on small revenues, which today do not pay off science-intensive start-ups and technologies. Therefore, it seems to me that the most important goal for us is precisely the stimulation of this demand and sales markets.
1:14:39 Ivan Mikhailovich Kamenskikh, Rosatom
[…] I would be happy to ask today to support what German Oskarovich is today
[…] But I wanted to support Yury Ivanovich that the most important task is to create a market, a domestic market and a foreign market, for the introduction of these technologies.
1:15:45 Andrey Belousov, Assistant to the President of Russia
[…] What Ivan Mikhailovich said, and what Yury Ivanovich said about the market […] But, firstly, there is no market for artificial intelligence products as such, and secondly, it is not at all the main one. The main thing is the change in traditional markets that artificial intelligence brings, and we must measure not by what share we will occupy in this artificial intelligence market, but by how much we can win back in the industrial market, in the market of trade services, due to our national decisions, in the market of logistics services - this is how to measure it.
Operationally, of course, these are not meters, we will never be able to measure it. We mean this, realizing that this is the main effect here, but to draw some figures for the 24th or 30th year, you yourself understand that it will be somewhere on the verge of speculation.
[…] about the fact that there are problems with sales and so on. They will continue to emerge. […] We must understand that the introduction of artificial intelligence fundamentally changes the decision-making processes in companies. It is impossible to introduce artificial intelligence without changing the control system. It just won't work.
[…] the biggest mistake that we can fall into is to start forming some new management systems, a new structure for managing this process in the strategy […] We are making changes there, but changes that will largely affect the content, but, thank God, will minimally affect the bureaucratic form in order to save time. […]
1:20:15 Vladimir Putin
[…] Of course, when introducing the achievements of artificial intelligence, we need to ensure that our companies naturally capture the market: both their own market and world markets.
At the same time, there are such areas of activity, for example, the use of elements of artificial intelligence in medicine […] Today we talked about how much work in this area improves with the use of artificial intelligence – by 30–40 percent. It may or may not be applied. You see, it is possible and not to apply. Until now, they lived like this, and nothing seems to be like that. And in order to be applied, we need appropriate decisions of ministries and departments. Still, we need to promote these products.
[…] И здесь от министерств тоже много зависит, в том числе от Министерства промышленности. Или мы выставляем определённые требования к применению известных достижений, или нет, и так и будет всё катиться. […]
[…] Стратегия, наверное, у вас хорошая получится. Я хочу просто обратить внимание на то, что мы стратегии в принципе писать умеем, даже самые сложные. Это сложная стратегия, нам нужен пошаговый план реализации этих стратегий, в данном случае – пошаговый план реализации развития искусственного интеллекта. Это обязательно нужно будет сделать. Максим Алексеевич уже говорил об этом, но нужно это так, чтобы это было всё‑таки понятно и ясно, как это будет двигаться.
Impressions
In conclusion, I would like to share my own impressions of this meeting.
The first thing that catches your eye is the use of the term “artificial intelligence” to describe a set of technologies where AI does not even smell, especially . Here, "artificial intelligence" is nothing more than a beautiful wrapper, under which they sell, mainly, machine learning. And in reality, at present, there is no certainty that humanity can create a strong AI in any clearly predictable period. And, the saddest thing is that the future national strategy is not going to solve this problem - strong AI is simply not in its sphere of interest. And with the development of machine learning, there is also a big question whether there are, or at least are possible, more effective methods than the known ones.
Second, the meeting identified two different goals that their proponents suggest the decision to develop AI technologies should lead to. In the Strategy prepared by Sberbank, Russia (and Sberbank) is expected to gain the reputation of the world technological leader in the field of AI, and the other part of the participants has an opinion voiced by Yu.I. Borisov that the main goal is to develop and implement our own AI technologies in our economy, thereby raising both technology and the economy to a new level. The problem, however, is that the achievement of Sberbank's goals can still be somehow measured, but the percentage of technology development and economic growth based on them cannot.
Thirdly, the opinion of Yandex and Mail.Ru, companies that are really involved in these technologies, their implementation in practice, and the development of specialists, was interesting. It seems that the money allocated for development will pass them by.
The full video can be viewed at and . The second link also has the full transcript.
Source: habr.com