The study analyzes AI adoption in Russia from 2022 to 2026, utilizing data from HSE ISSEK, Yandex Wordstat, VCIOM, and Mediascope. Researchers measured interest through information awareness, search demand, and actual usage patterns of generative AI services.
Search queries for the term 'neural network' in Yandex increased approximately 18-fold between January 2022 and September 2024. Public awareness also grew, with the share of Russians able to define artificial intelligence rising from 36% in 2022 to 50% in 2024.
The market has shifted toward practical application. According to VCIOM data, the share of internet users who engaged with neural networks in the past year grew from 73% in December 2025 to 78% in June 2026, while regular users increased from 51% to 58%.
The competitive landscape for AI services is fragmented, with different leaders depending on the metric. Alice AI leads in monthly reach, DeepSeek shows strength in mobile and authorization behavior, and ChatGPT dominates in traffic and media metrics.
