Can we dial down on the Putin-bashing and focus on how AI will affect the future? I dislike Putin as much as the next guy, but he's smart, he knows the trends, and what he said here is absolutely correct.
As it stands, it's the US and China (despite the Trump administration's distaste for science) that seem set on becoming the world's AI superpowers. Sorry, Russia, but I doubt it will have top-tier potential due to its relatively tiny, resource-based economy, unless Russian research progresses by leaps and bounds.
With AI, these nations can do much. AI can, for example, set central bank policy without much (or even any) human intervention. It will become an integral part of the surveillance state (and in China's case, the Great Firewall). And of course, robots are already used in warfare, and advanced AI will only be used more and more in it.
Really, the possibilities abound and their implications will be enormous. Listen to Putin; here, he sees the future.
Yeah, Putin isn't wrong about the importance of AI and machine learning, but I think the USA has more talent in this area, especially given the extensive research network through our universities as well as all the tech companies located here. Russia doubtless has some great hackers, but I think the overall intellectual edge is definitely in America.
Machine learning at its core is just applied statistics and probability (though increased computational speed and a greater range of inference algorithms greatly increases its potency), with the goal of making predictions - whether it be about inflation rates or cybersecurity threats. Better identification and classification of threats and trends is essential both for protection and as a weapon of attack. While these tools can be a major threat in the wrong hands, I have a lot of trust in the national security agencies (knowing numerous fellow CS majors now working there) to be one step ahead of our rivals in this domain.
