Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to put together a national strategy on artificial intelligence technology as Moscow is hustling to catch up on the research and development of the creation and implementation of intelligent machines, Defense One reports.
"The Government of the Russian Federation, with the participation of Sberbank of Russia and other interested organizations, should develop approaches to the national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence and submit appropriate proposals" says an instruction sheet released by the Kremlin and approved by Putin.
Their deadline is Feb. 25.
China and the United States are far ahead of global competitors on the AI front, according to a report by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization that found U.S. firms IBM and Microsoft had the highest number of patents related to artificial intelligence.
"The U.S. and China obviously have stolen a lead," WIPO Director-General Francis Gurry said during a news conference, per Reuters. "They're out in front in this area, in terms of numbers of applications, and in scientific publications."
Russia has been pushing for a centralized approach to AI development, and last year the Russian Ministry of Defense hosted a conference with the Russian Academy of Sciences drafted a roadmap to improve engagement on AI.