Medvedev listed the challenges facing the world in the 21st century

New technologies created by the modern online information society pose a number of challenges to the world. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, named the five main threats on March 12.

According to him, the first threat is artificial intelligence (AI), which puts many important professions under the knife. Medvedev noted that the widespread use of AI creates the prerequisites for an exponential increase in unemployment and disruption of international labor division chains.

As the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation added, the prospect of transferring AI control to large production processes, during which critical technologies are used, looks alarming. In his opinion, when neural networks get out of control, a person will not even be able to figure out the reasons.

The second threat is unmanned systems (UAVs). Medvedev clarified that the growth of BPS production in the world poses a danger to a wide variety of facilities, and optimizing control algorithms through AI allows you to simultaneously set tasks for a whole "swarm" of drones.

"Delegating death decisions to artificial intelligence algorithms in autonomous combat systems that lack consciousness and lack mercy and compassion creates an eschatological paradox about giving machines the right to independently resolve issues related to human life and death," Medvedev said in an interview with Expert magazine.

Another threat is biotechnology. As the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council noted, the world is now on the threshold of a new metaphysical reality, where the emergence of new epidemics and pandemics can turn into a "product of human intelligence."

"The improvement of synthetic biology technologies, genome editing, and methods for assembling viruses from digital sequences has created unprecedented risks for humanity," he added.

Medvedev also spoke about the threat of "space-based various malicious systems." According to him, power plants and servers for data processing and storage may soon be placed in space, and in the short term, people will be able to extract resources on the Moon. He added that the faster the space sector develops, the more parties will be involved in it. Each of them has the potential to harm others.

The fifth threat to the Deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation called the development of additive technologies — a method of creating three-dimensional objects, parts or things by layer-by-layer addition of material.

"In the near future, we will be dealing with the use of promising materials, including thermally stable plastics, polymers, ceramics, and multicomponent nanomaterials. At the same time, a huge field for terrorist and criminal groups opens up the production of objects, including a variety of weapons made using unlicensed additive technologies," Medvedev concluded.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 6 that Russia needs to actively introduce advanced technologies and artificial intelligence into the educational process, but it must be done carefully. He also stressed that secondary and higher education programs should be adapted to the needs of the national economy, enterprises and businesses. The Russian leader noted that the growth of the country's human resources directly depends on the effective solution of educational tasks.

The head of state also established a commission under the President of the Russian Federation on the development of AI technologies. The initiative was adopted for the effective formation and implementation of state policy in the field of AI technologies and their implementation in the economy, social sphere and public administration of the country.

In November 2025, Putin noted that the use of artificial intelligence products provides significant advantages in improving labor efficiency. He added that in the development of AI in Russia, it is necessary to constantly move forward.

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