Russia's Ministry of Digital Development, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (FSTEC) are drafting a procedure for certifying AI models as compliant with 'traditional spiritual and moral values', Vedomosti reported, citing sources in IT companies, an industry association and the ministry.
The mandatory check will not apply to all neural networks — only developments seeking the status of a 'sovereign' or 'national' model and state support will undergo testing, the report said.
Special testing laboratories will conduct the checks. A developer must submit an application with documents describing the model's architecture, information about filtering mechanisms and other data, sources told Vedomosti. The laboratory will then examine the neural network's responses, test possibilities for bypassing internal restrictions and send a conclusion on whether the model conforms to 'traditional values' to a government commission.
IT companies have agreed that the examination can be carried out not by one designated organization but by several laboratories that have passed verification by a state body. Requirements for them are currently being developed together with businesses, a Digital Development Ministry representative said.
No separate document listing 'spiritual and moral values' is planned — the list is already contained in presidential decree No. 809, a source involved in discussing the bylaw said. The verification procedure may be spelled out in a government act.
In late July, Vladimir Putin signed a law on supporting the development of artificial intelligence technologies in Russia. It introduced mandatory checks of large neural networks for compliance with Russian legislation and 'traditional values' to obtain the status of a 'sovereign' or 'national' model. 'Sovereign' models must be developed by Russian companies at all stages without using foreign solutions; 'national' models may borrow foreign components but must also be developed by Russian legal entities.
A positive conclusion will allow neural networks to participate in state procurement and significant IT projects, and will open access to data from state information systems, Vedomosti's sources said. The package of bylaws is currently being coordinated at the level of the Digital Development Ministry, the FSB and FSTEC.