Putin greeted by dancing robot at AI conference, warns against dependence on foreign systems

At the 10th AI Journey International Conference in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled a sweeping vision for Russia’s artificial intelligence ambitions and warned of the risks of critical “foreign system” dependence. Greeted by 'Grin'—the nation’s first humanoid robot—Putin toured exhibits on generative AI, neural networks, and AI-driven pharmaceuticals, before declaring that generative artificial intelligence will be “core and strategic technology,” shaping the world’s values, social fabric, and national security. Emphasizing the need for “state, technological, and value sovereignty,” Putin announced new initiatives for homegrown Russian language models and locally developed AI agents, promising intensive investment in domestic research, computing infrastructure, and work to ensure all crucial data models are Russian-made and supervised. He characterized the global AI race as a defining challenge for sovereignty and warned of attempts by outside powers to shape the information environment, calling for concerted, high-speed Russian innovation.