“AI Is Like a Nuclear Project” - Russia’s Vedyakhin on The Emerging National AI Arms Race

Artificial intelligence is being likened to nuclear power by Alexander Vedyakhin, the first deputy CEO of Sberbank, who stated that a new global “AI club” is forming, where nations with their own large language models (LLMs) will gain outsized influence, as reported by Reuters on Monday.

\n Vedyakhin said Russia already ranks among the seven countries that have developed home‑grown AI capabilities, and stressed that reliance on foreign‑built models poses unacceptable security risks in areas like public services, healthcare, and education.

\n He acknowledged that the U.S. and China are ahead by about six to nine months, and that for countries just entering the race, the cost and energy demands make catch‑up extremely challenging.

\n Despite Western sanctions limiting access to computing infrastructure, Vedyakhin said Russia will leverage its talent pool and plans to release some of its latest AI models as open source, while cautioning that over‑investment in AI infrastructure risks diminishing returns.

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