Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government and the country’s largest bank, Sberbank, to collaborate with China in the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
This directive, issued after a December conference focused on AI, has tasked Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Sberbank CEO German Gref with leading the initiative, with a progress report expected by April 2025.
The partnership aims to leverage China’s expertise in AI, which is regarded as one of the most advanced globally. Sberbank, a leader in AI development within Russia, has long viewed China as a key source of inspiration for many of its projects. Alexander Vedyakhin, the bank’s first deputy chairman, recently praised China’s advancements in AI as pivotal in shaping Sberbank’s own ambitions.
China has heavily invested in AI, with the goal of becoming a global leader by 2030, according to its “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” initiated in 2017. Beijing has rapidly deployed AI across various sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation, and leads in AI patent applications, particularly in generative AI technologies. Between 2014 and 2023, Chinese entities filed over 38,000 generative AI patents, accounting for nearly 70% of such filings worldwide.
Chinese researchers have significantly increased their contributions to AI literature, and by 2020, China had surpassed the U.S. in the total number of AI-related journal citations.
During the December conference, Putin also emphasized the need to accelerate domestic AI development efforts. He called for expanded use of AI in schools to enhance student counseling and learning, as well as support for local governments to integrate AI into public administration.
Putin highlighted that AI had already helped reduce robberies by 10.5 times and home burglaries by 34.5 times. In December 2024, Russia introduced its first AI-based texts for students in grades 5-9, offering an introduction to AI, explaining its functionality, how professionals interact with it, and its application across various industries.
“Russia must become a global leader not only in the creation but also in the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence across all aspects of our lives,” Putin declared.
