No to Digital Neocolonialism: Experts and Governments Debate the Future of AI

Opening the session, Sophie Shevardnadze, host of the international interview project SophieCo (Russia), emphasized that virtually any discussion of the digital future today ultimately turns into a discussion of artificial intelligence. It is the most pressing issue facing the industry. At the same time, while the number of rules governing AI is growing around the world, there is still no common framework.

In Russia, the complex issue of AI regulation is being handled by Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chief of Staff of the Government of the Russian Federation. At the beginning of the meeting, he noted that the IT industry has become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Russian economy. Its share of gross domestic product has doubled over the past six years. More than 80% of Russians use digital platforms for e-commerce every month. Russia is actively developing its own generative AI models and has homegrown large language models that rank among the world’s leading systems.

“We have developed more than 1,000 Russian software products using artificial intelligence. AI is being introduced across virtually every sector of the Russian economy. Russia has developed its own national plan for AI adoption for 2027–2030,” Dmitry Grigorenko said.

Artificial intelligence creates new opportunities while also presenting new challenges. It is being used in critical areas such as healthcare, government and security. That means governments have to develop rules for how these technologies can be used. Today, countries take different approaches to AI regulation.

In Russia, the “Artificial Intelligence Development Law” was adopted in 2026. It contains virtually no outright bans. Instead, it is a framework law that defines artificial intelligence so that these technologies can be used within a legal framework. The law also outlines areas for future regulation, including liability, labeling AI-generated content, and potential government support for national AI models and companies that use Russian AI-based services.

The problem is that legal rules governing AI can sometimes directly contradict one another across countries.

“Rules apply within the territories of individual states. But AI is a borderless technology. That is why the world needs to develop an international approach to regulating it. The process has already begun. Russia is among the founding members of the World Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence. I hope that at other international platforms we will also be able to develop the necessary measures and proposals for regulating AI around the world. I sincerely hope that the Global Digital Forum will become one of those platforms,” Dmitry Grigorenko emphasized.

Alexander Alimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, noted that one of the most important tasks today is to prevent the emergence of digital colonialism:

“We consistently advocate for an international and universal approach to discussions of artificial intelligence, in which all participants have an equal opportunity to express their positions, defend their interests and advance their proposals. Dividing countries into closed-door clubs risks reviving what could be called digital colonialism. We firmly believe that the United Nations should be at the center of efforts to develop common rules.”

He was supported by Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies:

“The United Nations is not a sovereign player in AI development. The UN will not develop its own model. Instead, it will serve as a platform where every player has a seat at the table where we develop the rules for using artificial intelligence.”

Boris Bratina, Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia, emphasized that smaller countries need to engage with as many states as possible to develop effectively. This, he said, would help them resist pressure from Western countries in the field of AI.

“In reality, we see Western countries simply wanting to write the rules of the game themselves. It seems to me that this is the dream of every colonial power. We, meanwhile, are moving in the direction envisioned for the future by the Russian Federation, China and other friendly countries,” the expert said.

Jimena Sofia Viveros Alvarez, a lawyer, CEO of IQuilibriumAI, former member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI, Commissioner of the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain (GC-REAIM) and OECD AI Expert (Mexico), raised the issue of controlling the use of AI in military technologies. She noted that international law remains in force and entails obligations for individuals and states alike. In her view, AI must not become a tool for committing crimes.

“Not every country, for example, builds aircraft, but every country has a stake in aviation safety. We can easily apply the same principle to artificial intelligence when it comes to the malicious use of AI,” she warned.

Another important issue was control over data. Chun Vat, Secretary of State at Cambodia’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, said his country is gradually moving away from storing information abroad and toward creating its own resources for critical data.

“A state’s sovereign right unquestionably includes control over the data on which AI is trained and operates. The state must decide what data is used, where it is stored, how it is processed and whom it is shared with. At the same time, we need international agreements on standards and interoperability between different technologies so that systems, and we ourselves, can interact at the international level,” said Olga Myamlina, Deputy Chairman of PSB Bank PJSC.

The discussion can be summed up in the words of Alexander Alimov: it is important to make sure that the narratives and ideas conveyed by AI reflect the values of the country using it, rather than values imposed from outside.