AI Becomes the New Nuclear Club

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Russia’s top AI executive recently compared artificial intelligence development to the nuclear race. Alexander Vedyakhin, who oversees Sberbank’s AI transformation, said only seven countries currently possess their own AI technologies, and nations without sovereign models risk being “left behind”.

Vedyakhin emphasized that Russia must develop at least two or three indigenous large language models rather than relying on “retrained foreign models,” especially for critical sectors like healthcare, education, and government services.

President Vladimir Putin recently declared that domestically developed AI models are essential for maintaining Russian sovereignty. Vedyakhin went further, stating that inputting confidential data into foreign models is “strictly forbidden” and could lead to “severe repercussions”.

Russia is not alone in this race for developing their own AI. India released its AI Governance Guidelines on November 5, explicitly prioritizing “innovation over restraint” and requiring sector-specific regulators to manage AI deployment rather than imposing a standalone AI law. The EU published its Digital Omnibus on AI regulation in November too, strengthening its prescriptive framework. The US continues pushing a fragmented, sector-based approach with no comprehensive federal law.

Each country is building its own AI governance model, but the underlying logic is the same. Whoever controls the infrastructure controls the data. Whoever controls the data controls the decisions.

Vedyakhin acknowledged that Western sanctions limit Russia’s access to advanced computing technology, creating a gap with US and Chinese competitors that may widen over time. Sberbank and Yandex are leading Russia’s efforts to close that gap, but the challenges are structural.

The “nuclear club” analogy is deliberate. In the mid-20th century, nuclear capability determined geopolitical power. Now, the argument goes, AI capability will do the same.