Igor Shnurenko: "The authorities and business have arranged a get-together on the topic of AI for 37 billion rubles"

On the Den TV YouTube channel, he spoke about the details of the Artificial Intelligence project and the government-approved concept for regulating artificial intelligence and robotics.

“The government of the Russian Federation has given the green light to the advance of artificial intelligence in all areas of our life.

Two things happened. First, the government commission on digital development within the framework of the national program "Digital Economy" approved the passport of the federal project "Artificial Intelligence".

But the point here is not in the phrases themselves, but in the fact that funding of almost 37 billion rubles has been approved. But it is clear that there will be additional funding. Not all ministries have signed this document yet, but the key ones have already done so.

The second fact is that the government, it seems, on August 19, approved the concept of regulating artificial intelligence and robotics until 2024. Relevant orders have already been signed and can be found on the official websites.

The purpose of this concept is to improve legislation to create favorable conditions for the development of artificial intelligence, robotics, remove barriers, and so on.

Interestingly, the document was prepared by a group led by Sberbank executive director Andrei Neznamov. Subsequently, this group was joined by representatives of the Skolkovo Foundation, the leading technology companies in Russia, many of which, by the way, will have a share of the aforementioned 37 billion rubles. And at the final stage, representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development joined the group.

It is necessary to understand from the very beginning that this concept was proposed and developed by bankers with the participation of business. And the final "good" comes from the government.

But there are no representatives of society in this get-together, obviously they are superfluous.

And now it will become clear why.

The group has been working on the project for over a year and I have been closely following how the concept has changed.

And I can say that it has become tougher than it was originally. Harder - in relation to ordinary people, consumers. But all the requests of big business were taken into account.

... Let's go through the concept and see where the mines are laid, which will certainly explode. Well, they will explode, if we, of course, remain within the framework of the current laws, the Constitution, if a digital dictatorship and a digital concentration camp are not introduced, then all questions will be removed.

So first let's see what is said about priorities.

The priority goal of regulating relations in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics at this stage is to stimulate the development, implementation and use of these technologies; the creation of AI and robotics systems in a trusted, secure design that will contribute to the achievement of high rates of economic growth. This I list what is written in the concept itself.

Further, there is an increase in the welfare and quality of life of citizens. Further - ensuring national security and law and order, and, finally, achieving sustainable competitiveness of the Russian economy, including leading positions in the world in the field of AI.

Everything looks good. The principle of incentives - before regulation is emphasized. That is, business develops first, and regulation comes later. The authors themselves will answer that this is such a world practice, but in fact, in Europe, of course, this is far from the case, in China, perhaps, so, in the United States - in different ways.

But further points are important. The regulatory impact is based on a risk-based approach and provides for the adoption of restrictive norms if the use of AI and robotics carries an objectively high risk of harming participants in public relations, the interests of society and the state.

That is, it was initially laid down that we first apply and only then assess the risks. But nothing is said about who will evaluate them, how, what is the procedure for accepting restrictions. They don't talk about it.

What is a Risk Based Approach?

It is said that it is based on assessing the size of the potential harm to the specified values, taking into account the likelihood of its occurrence, in comparison with the potential positive effect of the introduction of technology. Well, that is, you can always say that the potential - let us emphasize this word - it is the potential positive effect that outweighs all kinds of damage.

It's like a vaccine: if officials are convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks, then everything is fine. Obviously, this principle will also apply to artificial intelligence.

Further. The document is based on a completely irrational belief that business will regulate itself .

But we perfectly see how business in Russia regulates itself. As it happens in Norilsk with pollution that will have to be cleaned up for many years, as it happens with refineries all over the country, in Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk and so on. As it happens with deforestation, garbage collection ...

That is, it turns out that Sberbank and other companies will do worse to themselves just to make you feel good.

This is not done in any branch of the Russian industry, but here we must take our word for it - now it is already an official document - that the industry will regulate itself.

It is emphasized here that it is necessary to expand the use of instruments of co-regulation, self-regulation, to form codes of ethical rules.

And these codes of ethics, this emphasis on self-regulation, will be created and implemented by those people who, as I have repeatedly said in previous programs, do not believe at all that you have free will, that you have a consciousness, that it’s worth it to reckon more than with a certain "black oil", with a certain human resource, from which you need to extract data for processing in artificial intelligence systems and further selling behavioral futures and so on.

It is required to actively involve representatives of companies developing AI systems and robotics in the development of relevant regulatory legal acts. This is a quote from the doc. This suggests that they themselves will develop themselves.

Further, it is emphasized that it is necessary to maintain competition and ensure equal conditions and opportunities for all for the application of experimental legal regimes, state support measures, access to the necessary for development - this is the most important - data from state and municipal information systems. Moreover, it is stipulated that this data should be available for both small and medium-sized businesses.

At the same time, for the sake of form, so that no one has comments and so that it can be said that the interests of people are respected, the document says that the regime of legal regulation of technologies for the use of artificial intelligence systems should provide the necessary degree of protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, be responsible the interests of society and the state.

But these points do not say through what mechanisms this will happen, how a citizen whose rights have been violated can do, where he can go.

... Behind the statements of the concept, we see some kind of shamanism, a lack of understanding of the foundations of how artificial intelligence systems work.

It is said that companies are encouraged to conscientiously inform about the main functional features of AI systems, the introduction of voluntary certification, and so on. that is, there is again hope for the goodwill of companies, Sberbank, and so on.

Actually, in this concept, the bottom line is that the use of these systems is completely at the disposal of these companies, large technology firms, everything is at their discretion, the hope for their goodwill.

There are no mechanisms specified in case something goes wrong.

There are some calls, there are some good intentions, but they are not guaranteed in any way, they are not provided by anything, and, in general, the worst thing about this is not that some group of people developed this concept and proposed, but that it is accepted the government of the Russian Federation, this is an official document and, as they say, now live with it".