Russian lower-house State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has shot down the idea that artificial intelligence could replace members of parliament, arguing that machines lack “conscience and responsibility.”
Volodin, who has long sought a legislative framework on robot-human relations, used a technical glitch involving the Duma’s electronic system to rail against AI.
“AI has no conscience,” Volodin said during Thursday’s session, using a Russian phrase that can also mean “shameless.”
“We must not delegate decisions that require conscience and responsibility to neural networks,” he said.
Volodin made his remarks a week after Albania announced that the world’s first AI-generated minister, “Diella,” would take charge of a new public contracts portfolio.
His assertion contrasts with other Russian state officials and executives who have signaled more openness toward AI.
Digital Minister Maksut Shadayev suggested this spring that AI could replace half of “simple and routine” Russian officials, but ruled out similar replacements for doctors and teachers.
Sberbank CEO German Gref in 2023 said AI could eradicate bribery in public administration, though he cautioned that fully automated governance is unrealistic due to social and emotional factors.
A 2021 poll found a majority of Russians supporting the idea of replacing lawmakers with AI.
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