Putin confronts his AI ‘double’ | Inquirer News
Stumped for a moment

Putin confronts his AI ‘double’

/ 05:42 AM December 16, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin —REUTERS

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared briefly lost for words on Thursday when confronted with an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated version of himself.

The “double” took the opportunity to put a question to Putin about AI during an annual news conference where dozens of callers from around the country were hooked up to the president by video link.

Article continues after this advertisement

“Vladimir Vladimirovich, hello, I am a student at St. Petersburg state university. I want to ask, is it true you have a lot of doubles?” the double asked, prompting laughter among the audience in the hall with Putin in Moscow.

FEATURED STORIES

“And also: How do you view the dangers that artificial intelligence and neural networks bring into our lives?”

The question prompted a rare hesitation from Putin, already in his fourth hour of taking questions at the marathon event.

Article continues after this advertisement

Only one me

“I see you may resemble me and speak with my voice. But I have thought about it and decided that only one person must be like me and speak with my voice, and that will be me,” he said.

Article continues after this advertisement

There has been recurrent speculation, particularly in Western media, that Putin has one or more body doubles to cover for him in some public appearances because of alleged health problems.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Kremlin had denied that and said the president’s health is excellent.

READ: Stalled talks resume on landmark EU rules on AI

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: artificial intelligence, Putin

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.