The Russian government is considering a draft decree that would mandate companies to use sovereign artificial intelligence models for specific tasks. Under the proposal, businesses would be required to adopt these systems if they are not more than 1.5 times more expensive than national alternatives.
A sovereign AI is defined as a model developed entirely by a Russian legal entity and hosted on domestic infrastructure. Currently, only Sber's GigaChat meets these criteria. Models like Yandex's Alice AI are classified as national, as they incorporate open-source components despite significant domestic development.
The proposed mandate would apply to strategic planning, government programs, national projects, and drafting regulations. Other affected areas include tax, customs, budget management, critical information infrastructure, healthcare, education, and public services.
The Ministry of Digital Development stated that the list of sectors is preliminary and reflects various proposals rather than a finalized policy. Both Sber and Yandex emphasized the need for further discussion, with Yandex highlighting the importance of maintaining market competition and allowing businesses to select the most suitable tools.
