Mail Service Launches AI-Powered Utility Hub: Russia Moves Toward Smarter Bill Management

How the Smart Utility Assistant Works

This innovation represents more than just a new feature — it’s part of a broader trend of vertical AI integration across consumer services. The new function, built into the ‘Purchases’ service, uses artificial intelligence to automatically scan incoming emails. The neural network accurately identifies invoices and reminders for meter readings or upcoming payments. All detected documents are gathered into one centralized section, where users can view the service provider, detailed bill information, amount due, and payment deadline.

Users also gain instant access to PDF attachments and can add reminders to Mail Calendar with a single click, reducing the risk of missing due dates.

The scale of Mail’s effort is impressive: the service processes over 11 million utility-related receipts every month — a figure that highlights the public’s growing demand for automation in routine financial management.

 Integration Across VK’s Ecosystem and Government Services

The AI Utilities section is just the first phase. Deeper integration with VK’s broader ecosystem is already planned. Soon, users will be able to make one-click payments via VK Pay — turning email into a full-service platform for both viewing and paying bills without leaving the interface.

“Our goal is to make Purchases an indispensable tool for everyday tasks. Each month, we process more than 11 million utility-related receipts, and this new functionality will make managing household bills faster, more transparent, and more efficient.”

Alexander Surovov

Head of Product for Mail Purchases

Integration with the government’s ‘Gosuslugi.Dom’ portal is also expected, allowing automatic meter data submissions and account reconciliations within a single window. Predictive features will follow: the AI system, already classifying emails, will soon forecast future payments, notify users of tariff changes, and automatically schedule reminders for regular bills.

From Email to Intelligent Infrastructure

The launch of the Utilities section marks a milestone in Russia’s five-year evolution of digital ecosystems. In 2021, Sberbank introduced its ‘Utility Account Finder’ feature, enabling payments without account numbers. Around the same time, VK Mail rolled out smart sorting and auto-reply tools, laying the groundwork for today’s intelligent email analysis.

By 2022, Sber launched Doma.ai — a platform for automating property management, signaling the spread of IT solutions into the B2B utility sector. By mid-2025, the ‘Gosuslugi.Dom’ app had streamlined bill payments with a unified ‘payment basket.’ In September 2025, Yandex introduced its ‘Neurofilter,’ an AI tool that identifies important messages and creates digests — further evidence of the shift toward AI-driven communications.

Mail’s new AI utility hub transforms email into a central household management platform, linking VK Connect and VK Pay into a seamless digital experience. For the utility sector, this is a key case study of vertical AI deployment that could reshape consumer interaction standards.