MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Global leaders in artificial intelligence (AI) are unlikely to agree on any restrictions for the industry until real threats emerge, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference.

"We can now talk about possible restrictions, about self-restrictions [in the development of artificial intelligence]. We can and should talk about the fact that we must somehow hold negotiations between leaders so that conditions are not created that could lead to some threat to humanity. At one point, when nuclear energy became a nuclear bomb, people realized that the threat to those who possess these weapons was growing, and then they began to negotiate. This threat and harm became unacceptable. They started to negotiate. It will probably be the same with artificial intelligence," Putin said.

He suggested that when the giants in this area realize that there are some threats, "then, probably, they will start to negotiate." "But until then, real agreements are unlikely to be reached. However, it is necessary to think about it, of course, already today," the head of state pointed out.

Putin also noted that it is impossible to prevent the development of artificial intelligence, but Russia should do all it can to be one of the leaders in this field. "Artificial intelligence, should we be afraid of it? To prevent the development of artificial intelligence, including superintelligence, which can now feel, which discriminates smells, which has cognitive abilities, which develops itself - it is simply impossible to prevent it. It is impossible to stop this development. And that is why it is necessary to guide it. In any case, we must do everything to be one of the leaders in this area," the president noted.

AI won't replace grandma

In addition, during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference, the Russian president assured an eight-year-old Russian girl that artificial intelligence would not replace her grandmother. "Arina, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty. This is absolutely true, you can take note of it. No one will replace grandma. It is impossible to replace a person," Putin said after the eight-year-old girl asked whether robots would replace her and her family, including her grandmother.

The head of state also received a live video question about the presence of his doppelgangers from his "virtual replica," a student from St. Petersburg. "I can see that you may look very much like me and you are speaking in my voice. However, I decided that only one person should look like me and speak in my voice. And that person will be myself. This is what one of our public figures said jokingly a while ago," the president replied, adding that the man’s resemblance to himself was uncanny.