‘The nation that rules in AI would be ruler of the world’ – Russian president says

abiola

September 4, 2017 12:16 PM

Putin has predicted that future wars would be fought by countries using drones.

President Putin has expressed his thoughts on the way Artificial Intelligence (AI) could change the world.

Speaking to students last Friday, September 1, the Russian president stated that countries which led the way in AI research would end up ruling the world.

“Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,” said Putin, reports RT. “It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

AI development in recent years has increasingly become a national security concern. China and the US have been known to be two frontrunners in AI, with China recently announcing it wants to be the global leader in AI research by 2030.

ALSO READ: RANKED: The least peaceful countries in the world

Analysts are also foreseeing the US falling behind in the AI research as Trump begins to cut funding for basic science and technology research.

AI could be valuable in medical research and economic boost but could also be a nasty weapon of war.

Putin has predicted that future wars would be fought by countries using drones. “When one party's drones are destroyed by drones of another, it will have no other choice but to surrender,” said the Russian president, according to the Associated Press.

[No available link text]

Recently, Space X and Tesla boss Elon Musk and 116 other technology leaders sent a petition to the United Nations calling for new regulations on how such AI weapons are developed.

The group stated that the introduction of autonomous technology would be equivalent to a “third revolution in warfare,” following the development of gunpowder and nuclear weapons.

An AI arms race doesn’t necessarily have to be a winner-takes-all scenario, though. Putin noted that Russia did not want to see any one country “monopolize” the field, and said instead: “If we become leaders in this area, we will share this know-how with entire world, the same way we share our nuclear technologies today.”

abiola