A ‘Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ is to be established in Russia, dedicated primarily to smart city developments across Moscow.
The institute, which is a part of a global initiative by the World Economic Forum (WEF), is to be dedicated to the development of AI technology. Its establishment is currently under negotiated with the Russian government.
“This groundbreaking center in Russia will help to facilitate smart city developments across Moscow. AI is already crucial to the provision of many of the city’s e-services. However, with a centralised learning centre for the implementation of AI, we will be able to optimise these services with the end goal of improving urban living in the capital,” says Eduard Lysenko, head of the Department of Information Technology in Moscow.
Upon establishment, the centre will work to develop proposals on the use of AI and the IoT to facilitate the collection and processing of big data and inform smart city development. In addition, the new institute will work on solving AI-related regulatory issues.
According to WEF, the center could also work on projects related to information politics and blockchain technology. By 2025, over 40-billion devices will be IoT ready. As such, the issues of intellectual property and personal data protection will become even more critical.
The centre will operate on Sberbank’s platform, the largest Russian transnational bank. In turn, Sberbank’s senior executives will be educated on the advantages of AI in decision-making and the need for digital transformation.
Similar centres have been established in the US, China, Canada and Japan. Their primary purpose is to provide means for cooperation, learning and exchange in the field of AI development. Creation of the center will furthermore enable Russia to achieve AI goals as set out in its National Development strategy for 2030.