Правительство России одобрило законопроект об ИИ с поправками от бизнеса

The Government Commission for Digital Development has approved a bill on the development of neural networks in Russia. Before the vote, the document was amended to reflect comments from the business community — the position of the technology industry has been officially reflected in the text for the first time.

Why this law is needed

Russia still lacks a separate legislative act regulating the creation and application of AI systems. Neural network developers operate in a hybrid legal environment: general rules on data protection, responsibility for service quality, IT security — but no special regime for AI. This creates problems from both sides.

Business doesn't understand what specific controls await AI products — and therefore takes a cautious approach. Regulators lack tools to intervene when an AI system causes real harm. The bill should close this gap: introduce basic definitions, establish responsible parties, and create a mechanism for regulatory sandboxes to test solutions before formal adoption of regulatory standards.

The discussion about the need for a special law has been ongoing in Russia for several years. The acceleration now is due to the fact that AI systems are being increasingly applied in government services, healthcare, and the financial sector — and the legal vacuum is no longer an abstract problem.

How business influenced the text

The first draft caused a wave of comments from technology companies and industry associations. The complaints came down to several key themes: vague wording that gives too much room for interpretation; requirements that duplicate existing legislation on personal data; excessive burden on system developers that pose no obvious risk to society. Business representatives pushed for a more differentiated approach — strict control for high-risk applications, lighter oversight for everything else. Given that the bill was corrected before being submitted to the State Duma, some of these positions were reflected in the text.

• Dialogue was conducted through working groups at relevant agencies
• Amendments were made at the stage of government approval — before the first reading
• Several industry associations publicly supported the updated text
• Particular emphasis was placed on excluding norms that duplicate existing laws

What comes next

Approval by the Government Commission is an intermediate stage. The next step is the first reading in the State Duma, where the document will again be open to amendments. Technologically complex laws in Russia typically go through three iterations: each carries the risk of both improvements and deterioration of the text.

The international context adds pressure: the European AI Act has already entered a transition period, and companies operating in multiple jurisdictions are forced to align Russian norms with European ones. The greater the gap between requirements — the higher the compliance costs for business. Even after the law is adopted, work will continue: for most provisions, implementing regulations will be needed — methodological guidelines, standards, registries of AI systems.

This will take another one or two years.

"It is important not just to pass a law, but to pass a working law —

one that creates clear rules rather than a new field of uncertainty," industry representatives summarize.

What this means

The fact that business comments were taken into account before the first reading is itself a signal. Russian technology regulation has historically been more reactive to problems already arising than consultative in advance. If this approach becomes embedded in the actual text of the law, the industry will gain a more predictable environment — which for AI development in the long term is more important than any subsidies or benefits.