From an "expensive toy" to a working tool: AI implementation in Russia
Artificial intelligence is no longer an experiment – today it is a tool that is transforming management principles, services, and entire industries. AI technologies are being introduced across a wide range of sectors, from retail and banking to public administration at every level. But how do we understand when AI truly increases efficiency and when it is simply hype? Do all industries really need it, and what should we expect from scaling this technology nationwide in the coming years? Participants of the session "AI Implementation: Dividing Roles, Uniting Goals" at the National Centre RUSSIA shared their experience of turning AI from an "expensive toy" into a functional tool. The event was held on 12 November as part of the IT forum "Digital Solutions 2025".
"The value of artificial intelligence for an ordinary person lies in service delivery. AI enables public services and government functions to be provided in an entirely new format. And it is not just that services are becoming more proactive, convenient and simpler – the very principle of how they are delivered is changing. Today, artificial intelligence processes data about a person, their profile, interests and information about public services, and ensures reverse logic: it is no longer a person who goes to the service, but the service that comes to them – directly to their home, their phone or their computer screen in the form that is convenient for them," said Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of the Government Staff of the Russian Federation Dmitry Grigorenko.
He added that the Government views artificial intelligence as an efficiency tool that can be used in different ways. In large-scale data-driven solutions – including public administration – AI enables operational tasks to be performed much faster: what previously took days is now completed in seconds. According to Dmitry Grigorenko, AI is used for forecasting, for example, fires or planned activities, which changes not only the approach to public administration but also to planning. He added that the system predicts results even before the deadline.
"Our President instructed in his Address that artificial intelligence and information technologies must permeate all industries. And everyone working in public and municipal administration must follow this logic," noted Governor of the Moscow region Andrei Vorobyov. "We started with ten AI projects, and by the end of this year there will already be 53 such products in the Moscow region. I believe that next year we will continue to grow in the field of AI application. I want to thank our partners – Yandex, Sber, developers and companies that create these products and train specialists. All this produces a very tangible result. We are determined to move further in this partnership."
Tools and services in which artificial intelligence acts as a human assistant are rapidly developing today. President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank Andrei Kostin spoke about this during the session.
"By processing large amounts of data, AI provides information that allows a client manager to respond to requests in just a few seconds, and it helps in solving standard tasks such as scoring. Moving to the stage where AI itself makes decisions instead of a human is a much more complex task. This is the next stage, but I think we have not yet reached the point where such decisions are decisive in the work of banks. Of course, we all expect the investments we make to pay off. Today, we estimate that artificial intelligence saves us around 15 billion rubles. In the next two years this could already be 50 billion rubles."
Chief Executive Officer of PJSC VimpelCom Sergei Anokhin noted that he sees two main vectors in the development and application of artificial intelligence within the company: "The first is assistants and support tools that take on algorithmic and routine processes. Here, we address several tasks at once: we compensate for the shortage of personnel, increase labour productivity and enable the same teams to do more by relieving them of repetitive operations. At the same time, the work itself becomes more engaging. The second vector is the opportunity to unlock human potential. I call this 'exo-intelligence' – by analogy with an exoskeleton: when you put on a device and can lift several times more weight than your physical abilities would normally allow. It works the same way with intelligence: if a person does not hand over thinking to artificial intelligence but interacts with it in a co-thinking format, they gain access to a much larger volume of data, knowledge and insights. The result is an entirely different level of decisions and outcomes."
The Information Technology Forum "Digital Solutions" is being held by the Ministry of Digital Development for the first time with the support of the Government. The event brings together leading representatives of the Russian IT industry and government authorities for dialogue across all areas of digital transformation. In total, more than 90 sessions are scheduled as part of the business programme, which will take place from 12 to 15 November, with more than 600 speakers participating.
Event photobank
The state must ensure security at every stage of the information life cycle.
The progress of import substitution was discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA by the heads of leading telecom operators and equipment manufacturers.
The best projects by Russian IT companies were recognised at the National Centre RUSSIA.
