Shadaev and Goreslavsky held the final meeting of the Public Council under the Ministry of Finance

At an expanded meeting of the Public Council under the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, the department's leadership summed up the work for 2025 and presented plans for the next period. The event was held on December 17 under the chairmanship of Alexey Goreslavsky, Director General of the Institute for Internet Development (IRI), with the participation of Maksut Shadaev, Minister of Digital Development.

As Goreslavsky noted, according to the results of a sociological study, 75% of Russians now know about the work of the Ministry of Finance, which is 7% higher than last year. More than half of the respondents highly rate the development of the Gosuslugi portal.

"The vector for 2026 is to continue the work that has begun with a clear focus on the most dynamic and socially significant segments of the digital economy," he said, adding that special attention will be paid to artificial intelligence technologies, the gaming industry and the creation of children's content.

Dmitry Ugnivenko, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, in his report on the department's progress in developing communications, noted the resumption of a program to equip schools with Wi-Fi and video surveillance systems.

"This year, we have created a similar infrastructure for 3 thousand facilities," he said.

Next year, it is also planned to develop a satellite constellation, expand communications coverage in new regions and on federal highways, as well as decide on a model for launching fifth-generation (5G) networks in Russia.

In the field of digitalization of services, the focus will shift to radically simplify the interaction of citizens with the state. As Deputy Minister Sergey Tsvetkov explained, in 2026 it is necessary to create more than 130 electronic services built around "life situations".

"The third area is the further development of AI assistants. In order for a citizen to be able to perform actions with the help of an AI agent, to get the final result," he added.

At the same time, the fight against cyberbullying will be intensified. An alarm button will appear on the Gosuslugi portal to quickly report illegal actions.

"Every citizen should be sure that they know about their communication contracts and can manage them," Deputy Minister Oleg Kachanov stressed, noting that the relevant section on the portal has already been visited 141 million times.

Support for the domestic IT industry remains a constant priority. Deputy Minister Sergey Kuchushev said that more than 91 thousand people have already used preferential mortgages for IT specialists for a total amount of over 18 billion rubles. The agency intends to maintain key support measures, including the zero VAT rate on Russian software.

In the media sphere, one of the main challenges of the coming year will be the regulation of content created by artificial intelligence.

"The issue here is, on the one hand, in approaches to regulating this area, on the other hand, in approaches to monetization," said Deputy Minister Bella Cherkesova.

She also reported on the successes in the fight against book piracy and the strengthening of Russia's position in international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union.

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Earlier in the day, Nikolai Turubar, Articul Development Director, technology expert and chairman of the RAEC Artificial Intelligence cluster, said that digitalization and the spread of AI are rebuilding the labor market faster than previous technological cycles. He noted that the changes will affect not only employment, but also the very understanding of professional value, responsibility and solidarity. As the specialist notes, routine tasks primarily fall under automation. Research shows that AI is capable of performing up to 85% of routine operations in office and analytical professions.

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