AI's Present and Future In Focus at Sputnik Roundtable
Sputnik News Agency and Radio held an expert roundtable discussion on “Artificial Intelligence: Current Challenges of the New Reality.” The participants discussed key issues surrounding the use of AI in various fields, and also assessed the prospects for international technological cooperation in this area.
The event was attended by Director of the VTsIOM Department of Social Research Andrei Daudrikh, Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Viet Nam News of the Vietnam News Agency Tran Thu Van, Head of Sputnik AI Project Egor Arkhipov, Director of the Center for BRICS Studies, Professor of the School of International Relations at Fudan University Shen Yi, Director of the News and Information Bureau of the Philippine Information Agency Luis Morente, digital marketing specialist Gabriel Basquez and AI expert Andrei Natashenkov.
Director of the VTsIOM Department of Social Research Andrei Daudrikh presented VTsIOM’s latest analytics on artificial intelligence among the Russian audience. According to the study, 35 percent of respondents believe that AI can be used for life-threatening work, while nearly one in four Russians do not trust AI, fearing that it may make mistakes. Russians are more willing to accept AI products as virtual assistants as well as for creative tasks, while fewer respondents are comfortable with AI being used in the economy, security, and state governance.
Regarding gender specifics, the expert observed that men tend to have a more favorable view of using AI in fields such as education, security, and finance. Additionally, it was noted that young people are the most optimistic about the integration of advanced machine intelligence technologies.
Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Viet Nam News Tran Thu Van stressed that today AI is widely used in journalism and added that “although AI technologies make journalists’ work significantly easier, it is important to carefully factcheck information and consider the ethical aspects of using AI when creating media content.”
“I believe that artificial intelligence will change the labor market. History shows us that human professions appear only to be forgotten later. But thanks to artificial intelligence, one person will be able to perform tasks in several specialties throughout the day,” Egor Arkhipov, Head of the AI project of Sputnik News Agency, said.
Director of the News and Information Bureau of the Philippine Information Agency Luis Morente added:
“We use AI in research including in social media to easily get the number of hits and in monitoring output. I also agree that AI can be useful in editing graphics, photo and video materials. But we should use AI with caution in writing articles particularly if AI was able to source its story from an exclusive material. Also, AI will not be able to replace the editorial judgement of desk editors particularly in the crafting of the lead paragraph and direction of the story. AI is also useful in the transcription of the English and other major languages but still has to learn to transcribe the local or indigenous dialects.”
Professor of the School of International Relations at Fudan University, Shen Yi, noted that it is very important to support healthy competition and cooperation in the international AI market: “There must be competition; otherwise, we can slide into a situation that developed during the Cold War. History has already shown that the build-up of military potential, including through the use of new technologies, can lead to new geopolitical conflicts, both locally and globally. No one would want a repeat of the apocalyptic scenarios of AI use that are so often portrayed in films.”
Digital marketing specialist Gabriel Basquez spoke about the use of AI technologies in social media content promotion. He emphasized that AI is now utilized for video editing, translation, and the application of sound effects. Furthermore, training AI based on past experiences with viral content significantly enhances productivity in this field.
AI expert Andrei Natashenkov argued that today’s research into the practical applications of AI should be approached gradually to mitigate risks to the labor market. "I certainly hope we won't experience another 'AI winter,'" he said. "However, it is essential to allow time for those whose professions may be at risk to adapt to this new reality."
