The VII International Scientific Forum "Step into the Future" is being held at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

The VII International Scientific Forum "Step into the Future: Global Foresight, Artificial Intelligence and Strategic Leadership" is taking place at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics today. It is dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the achievement of Russia's strategic leadership in the context of globalization and geopolitical challenges.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko opened a plenary session on the topic of international foresight, a joint study to update the priorities of fundamental and exploratory research in the field of AI within the framework of strategic objectives set by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation. He welcomed the forum participants and thanked Plekhanov University and personally Rector Ivan Lobanov for organizing a large-scale scientific event, and also noted that every year Plekhanov Russian University of Economics becomes a platform for very important discussions for our country.

The Deputy Prime Minister called President Vladimir Putin's words a strategic statement: "Our direct responsibility is to participate on equal terms in the global race to create a strong AI." He stressed that at the Russian University of Economics, as well as at regional and international sessions, it is necessary to agree on which goals should be "beaten" in order for Russia to remain a leader among other countries in strong AI. The Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Education and Science are preparing a unified research program in the field of AI, which will allocate funds for research that falls within the scope of foresight. Universities should definitely be involved in the work.

According to Dmitry Chernyshenko, AI is already changing our professional landscape, especially in those areas where flagship AI research centers (CI) operate – transport and logistics, construction and smart city, medicine, industry, etc.

The government already supports 12 research centers in the field of AI. The selection of the flagship information technology centers of the "third wave" is currently underway, and experts are evaluating it. Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized the role of science in advancing frontiers in various fields, such as the study of matter, vaccines, and cancer drugs.

In conclusion, Dmitry Chernyshenko noted the need to include universities in the organization of the international scientific foresight and instructed them to organize such discussions by inviting foreign experts, scientists and researchers from the field of AI. The time for each of the invited universities to hold their own foresight session is from May to September 2025. The results of the discussions will be brought together by SAPHIR (a Strategic Agency for the Support and Formation of AI Developments) under the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development. The results are planned to be presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ivan Lobanov, Rector of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, thanked the Government and Dmitry Chernyshenko personally and stressed that the university pays special attention to the development of AI. According to him, Plekhanov University is always in the vector of fulfilling the tasks set by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation, so the university plans to actively implement the announced approaches and solutions.

Following the results of the first part of the Plenary session, experts identified key vectors of work with artificial intelligence in the fields of business, science, and education.

The second part of the meeting was devoted to international scientific cooperation in the field of AI. The key speakers were Ivan Oseledets, Director General of the AI Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Harutyun Avetisyan, Director of the V.P. Ivannikov Institute of System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Nilakandan Subramani, Professor of the SNKDIR Laboratory for Intelligent Neurocognitive Knowledge and Data Analysis at the R.M.K. College of Engineering (India).