Russia’s leading technology companies adopted Code of Ethics in the field of Artificial Intelligence

The Code of Ethics in the field of Artificial Intelligence, developed by the Alliance in the field of Artificial Intelligence, was adopted on Tuesday, October 26. The document was signed by the members of the Alliance (Yandex, MTS, VK, Sber, Gazprom Neft and the Russian Direct Investment Fund) and leading companies and research organizations.

The document was signed at the International Forum «Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: the beginning of trust», attended by First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

The Code of Ethics proclaims human-oriented and humanistic approach to the development of AI technology, principles of non-discrimination, data security and information security, identification of AI in communication with humans and respect for the autonomy of the human will, responsibility for the consequences of the use of AI. Adherence to the code of ethics will become a key element of the social responsibility for companies developing and implementing AI technology in Russia.

The Code of ethics is intended to become a recommendation document on ethics for all participants in the AI market: government, business, Russian and foreign developers. The Code establishes general ethical principles and standards of conduct that can guide players in the field of artificial intelligence.

As a tool for implementing the above-mentioned principles and provisions, the Code provides for the creation of an AI ethics commission, appointment of ethics commissioners, as well as the possibility of creating collegial industry ethics bodies. The Alliance will also develop methodological recommendations and a set of best practices for solving emerging ethical issues in the life cycle of AI.

Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman, Sberbank:

“The AI technology is widely considered controversial: on the one hand, AI is key to evolution, on the other hand, it has a certain level of independence in decision-making and it is not always obvious how exactly those decisions are made. This is why today we all have a common mission: to build trust in the AI technology. And that is impossible to accomplish without establishing rules for ethical use of this technology. I’m confident that the Code we signed today, to which Sberbank had considerably contributed, will mark an important step in gaining more trust for AI within the Russian society and as a result – in expanding the country’s AI industry” 

Vyacheslav Nikolaev, CEO, MTS:

“AI technology will soon lead us to new breakthroughs in the digitalization of healthcare and education — not to mention nearly every aspect of daily life. In addition, it’s already clear today that AI is a technology that is raising considerable social concerns. That makes now the right time to outline the guiding principles that will help ensure AI technology will be used for the benefit of society. At MTS, we have always prioritized ethics in product development, including AI technology, and we are happy to share our expertise in establishing the Russian Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence”

Anatoly Braverman, First Deputy CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund:

“The formation and further development of the AI technology market requires effective cooperation of all of its players. Joint drafting, adoption and further use of the Code of Ethics are important benchmarks needed to put in place key infrastructure and help AI engineers, users and investors achieve success. The Russian Direct Investment Fund along with its co-investors and portfolio companies has traditionally given high priority to ethics and reputation and stands ready to actively share experience and borrow leading know-how and best practices”

The Code of Ethics was developed with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, the Analytical Center for the Government, the Ministry of Economic Development and underwent a series of expert and public discussions at ANO «Digital Economy», the Federation Council, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

The full text of the Code of Ethics is available at http://a-ai.ru/code-of-ethics/