- During Vladimir Putin’s marathon press conference, an AI-generated deepfake video of himself.
- Though initially taken aback, Putin responded that AI is impossible to prevent and that Russia should lead the process.
- However, with tech talent fleeing his war-torn country, Putin’s AI ambitions seem increasingly distant.
Putin confronted by an AI version of himself
Russian President Vladimir Putin found himself in a surreal situation on Thursday when his AI doppelganger appeared on screen to ask a question during the leader’s annual marathon press conference.
Taken aback, Putin paused when confronted with the deepfake video of himself – generated using advanced artificial intelligence.
“I am a student studying at the St Petersburg University,” said the Putin clone. “Do you have a lot of clones?”
Lead rather than fight this AI future
The digital double also asked Putin about his views on the rise of AI technology and whether it should be feared.
“You can talk to me and use my voice, but I figured that only one person could speak like myself, and this is going to be me,” the real Putin responded after a moment.
“Whether we should fear artificial intelligence or not… it’s impossible to prevent it. That means we should head and lead the process. We should be among the leaders in this domain,” he continued.
Uncertain Tech Landscape
Putin’s ambitions to have Russia lead the world in AI seem distant, however, as the country’s tech industry reels from his invasion of Ukraine.
Hundreds of thousands of IT professionals are reported to have fled Russia to avoid conscription into the war.
The four-term president showed no indication of backing down during the rambling 4-hour event.
“Nobody knows where we shall end up. This is the reality of today,” Putin mused about AI. The same could be said about his unrelenting assault on Ukraine.
