Nearly Half of Russians Used AI at Work in 2025
Designing eye-catching merch, writing an article, composing a poem for a colleague’s anniversary, or building a sales forecast – Russians are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to solve everyday work tasks. Forty-five percent of respondents say they use neural networks on the job. Why has AI become an indispensable assistant, and which routine tasks are people most willing to hand over to algorithms?
It Can Draw a Chart and Write an Essay
Nearly half of Russians (45%) say they use AI in their work, but only one in twenty does so on a regular basis. A quarter of respondents report that learning about new technologies is on their agenda, while 30% say they do not plan to study AI at all. These figures come from a study conducted by the online campus of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) as part of preparations for a documentary film on the impact of AI on the everyday lives of Russian professionals. A universal AI capable of performing tasks in any field with perfect accuracy has yet to be invented. However, for specific use cases, it is already possible to select a neural network with the right capabilities.
More than half of survey participants (54%) who use AI at work say it helps them solve individual tasks, while an overwhelming majority – 89% – turn to AI with work-related questions. A virtual assistant can easily handle tasks involving text, images, video, code, design, and even game development. AI is also used for self-development (45%), preparing reports (43%), and automating routine work operations (37%).
Drawing Like Malevich
At the same time, a significant share of Russians (25%) turn to neural networks when they want to learn a new skill or expand their competencies. Companies in Russia’s IT sector have developed neural networks designed to handle a wide range of tasks. For example, the Russian-language large language model YandexGPT generates texts and answers questions. It is integrated into the voice assistant Alice and the Yandex 360 service suite.
Kandinsky, a neural network for generating images and video from text prompts, was created by Sber with support from scientists at the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (AIRI). It can replicate the styles of well-known artists such as Aivazovsky or Malevich and is widely used for design, illustration, and graphics. Editing tasks can be handled by the multifunctional Russian neural network Gerwin AI. It can produce polished texts, come up with clickbait-style headlines, write video scripts, and serve as a practical tool for marketers and bloggers.
How AI Is Reshaping the Labor Market
Participants in the study believe that AI usage can influence employee salaries. Forty-one percent of respondents are convinced that active users of neural networks should earn more than their less tech-savvy colleagues. At the same time, 25% argue that technology should not determine a specialist’s compensation. The online survey included 1,300 adult residents of the Moscow, Leningrad, Samara, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk, and Omsk regions, as well as the Republic of Tatarstan and Krasnodar Krai. According to experts, digitalization and the spread of AI are rapidly reshaping Russia’s labor market, affecting not only employment levels but also the very definition of professional value.
According to Nikolai Turubar, Director of Development at Articul, a technology expert and head of the Artificial Intelligence cluster at RAEC, the adoption and use of AI in Russia are reducing headcounts in both small and large businesses, while mid-sized companies, by contrast, often require more employees due to technological restructuring.
Hybrid models, where humans and AI work together, are particularly popular. As technologies evolve, skills such as empathy, leadership, and communication are becoming increasingly valued in Russia. Another important trend is the emergence of new professions, including robot maintenance engineers, AI ethics specialists, drone operators, and VR content creators. Over time, the development of technology and workforce competencies is expected to contribute to Russia’s economic growth.
