Zakharova warns of risks from dependence on ready-made AI answers

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova argues that the dominance of ready-made artificial intelligence answers in the information environment could weaken critical thinking. She expressed the view on October 9 at the second Global Digital Forum in Moscow.

Zakharova described a hypothetical situation in which an all-knowing AI replaces the media. In her view, that model leaves people fewer opportunities to compare different positions, question the answers offered and share opinions of their own.

The diplomat also said that having a platform to speak does not guarantee that individual or collective views will be heard. She linked this to the risk of promoting a single acceptable interpretation of the world.

Zakharova referred to the habit of seeking answers to every question on a smartphone and discussed neural networks' influence on children's upbringing. These were her assessments of technology's social consequences. The source report provided no research demonstrating an atrophy of thinking across multiple generations.

The second Global Digital Forum runs in Moscow on October 8–10. Its programme includes discussions of AI ethics, the limits of system autonomy, maintaining human control and allocating responsibility.