Russian military to develop weapons using artificial intelligence

WASHINGTON – The Russian Ministry of Defense said it formed a department dedicated to developing weapons that use artificial intelligence.

The announcement was made Aug. 17 by Alexander Osadchu, the head of Russia’s military’s innovative development department, at the Army 2022 summit, according to the state-owned news agency TASS.

“In order to intensify work on the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the interests of creating models of weapons for military and special equipment, a department for the development of artificial intelligence technologies has been created,” he said in a statement.

The program could serve to counter the Pentagon’s top AI authority , the newly formed Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, which is tasked with expanding the use of AI throughout U.S. the military. The CDAO launched in February and reached full operational capability in June.

Mikhail Osyko, a member of Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission, announced plans to create an AI military department in May 2021. According to Osyko, the department will have its own budget, TASS reported.

As the U.S. and China make large investments in AI and machine learning technologies, Russia has similarly sought to compete in the AI field.

In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that AI is “the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,” according to a report carried by the state-funded media organization RT.

“It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict,” he said at the time. “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

Also at the Army 2022 summit, being held this week in Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that Russia will launch its National Center for AI in September.

The center will focus on searching and analyzing AI across fields, from business and science to government, according to TASS. It will also facilitate the expansion of AI programs at different organizations, such as research institutes and technological corporations.

Catherine Buchaniec is a reporter at C4ISRNET, where she covers artificial intelligence, cyber warfare and uncrewed technologies.

华盛顿——俄罗斯国防部表示，已成立一个专门研发人工智能武器的部门。

据俄罗斯国家通讯社塔斯社报道，俄罗斯军方创新发展部部长亚历山大·奥萨德丘于8月17日在“军队2022”峰会上宣布了这一消息。

他在一份声明中说：“为了加强人工智能技术在军事和特种装备武器模型开发方面的应用，我们成立了人工智能技术研发部门。”

该项目可能旨在对抗五角大楼最高人工智能权威机构——新成立的首席数字与人工智能办公室（CDAO）。CDAO的任务是扩大人工智能在美国军方的应用。CDAO于2月启动，并于6月达到全面运行能力。

据塔斯社报道，俄罗斯军事工业委员会成员米哈伊尔·奥西科于2021年5月宣布计划成立一个人工智能军事部门。奥西科表示，该部门将拥有自己的预算。

随着美国和中国在人工智能和机器学习技术领域进行大量投资，俄罗斯也同样寻求在人工智能领域展开竞争。

据俄罗斯国家资助的媒体机构RT报道，2017年，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京表示，人工智能“不仅是俄罗斯的未来，也是全人类的未来”。

他当时表示：“这其中蕴藏着巨大的机遇，但也伴随着难以预料的威胁。谁能在这个领域占据领先地位，谁就将成为世界的统治者。”

在本周于莫斯科举行的“军队2022”峰会上，俄罗斯副总理德米特里·切尔尼申科也指出，俄罗斯将于9月启动国家人工智能中心。

据塔斯社报道，该中心将致力于跨领域（从商业、科学到政府）的人工智能研究和分析，并将促进不同机构（例如研究机构和科技公司）拓展人工智能项目。

Catherine Buchaniec 是 C4ISRNET 的一名记者，她的报道领域包括人工智能、网络战和无人技术。