Putin warns AI must not replace schoolchildren's independent thinking
In short
President Vladimir Putin said the use of artificial intelligence in education must not replace pupils' own thinking, warning that using AI only to get a ready answer leads to a dangerous result. He spoke at a meeting with laureates of the All-Russian “Teacher of the Year” contest and finalists of the “Классная тема” television show. Interfax also reported he backed the idea of a separate neural network for education and said AI must not lower the quality of pupils' preparation.
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President Vladimir Putin said artificial intelligence must not replace schoolchildren's own thinking, speaking at a meeting with laureates of the All-Russian “Teacher of the Year” contest and finalists of the “Классная тема” television show, Vedomosti and Interfax reported. According to Vedomosti, Putin said that if AI use comes down to a pupil pressing a button for the correct answer without working on the task himself, it leads to an “unfavourable and dangerous” result. Interfax quoted him saying the learning process cannot be reduced to “pressing known buttons”. [ 1 , 2 ]
Interfax reported that Putin said the introduction of AI into education should not lead to a decline in the quality of pupils' preparation. He said it was necessary to ensure “that artificial intelligence in the educational process does not create conditions under which the quality of training does not improve but worsens”, and to encourage pupils' interest in knowledge, self-development and independent work on study tasks. [ 2 ]
Interfax also reported that Putin called the idea of creating a separate neural network for the education sector, one that would help the teacher and the pupil, a good one. The other documents do not mention this remark. [ 2 ]
The remarks come against changes already under way in Russian schools. Vedomosti reported that from 1 September schoolchildren began studying an “Artificial Intelligence” profile within the advanced informatics course, and that Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov had earlier said the new profile is already included in the All-Russian school olympiad in informatics. From 1 September 2027, a new education standard is due to take effect in senior grades, with AI skills included in the list of meta-subject learning results. [ 1 ]
Vedomosti also noted that on 1 October Putin said humanity has yet to learn to live and work with artificial intelligence, including determining how the technology's development will affect people's intellectual level. RIA Novosti and TASS, both official outlets, covered the 5 October remarks in headlines and summaries, with TASS saying Putin stressed that mindless use of AI would lead to an unfavourable result. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The remarks come as Russian schools have begun teaching an “Artificial Intelligence” profile inside the advanced informatics course, and as a new senior-grade standard listing AI skills is due from 2027. A presidential statement on how AI should be used in classrooms signals the framing officials are likely to apply as those programmes expand.
Key facts
- Putin said artificial intelligence should not substitute schoolchildren's independent thinking, speaking at a meeting with laureates of the All-Russian “Teacher of the Year” contest and finalists of the “Классная тема” TV show. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Putin said that if AI use comes down to a pupil pressing a button for the correct answer without engaging his own head, it leads to an “unfavourable and dangerous” result. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Interfax reported Putin said AI in education should not create conditions under which the quality of pupils' preparation worsens instead of improving. [ 2 ]
- Putin called the idea of creating a separate neural network for the education sector, to help teacher and pupil, a good one, according to Interfax. [ 2 ]
- Since 1 September, Russian schoolchildren have been studying an “Artificial Intelligence” profile within the advanced informatics course, Vedomosti reported. [ 1 ]
- Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov earlier said the new profile has already been included in the All-Russian school olympiad in informatics, according to Vedomosti. [ 1 ]
- A new education standard for senior grades, listing AI skills among meta-subject learning results, is due to take effect from 1 September 2027, Vedomosti reported. [ 1 ]
- On 1 October, Putin also said humanity has yet to learn to live and work with artificial intelligence, including determining how the technology will affect people's intellectual level, according to Vedomosti. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Putin said schoolchildren's independent thinking should not be replaced by AI answers, at a meeting with teachers. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Putin said mindless use of AI, limited to pressing a button for a ready answer, would lead to an unfavourable result. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The remarks were made on 5 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Putin made further remarks about a dedicated neural network for education. Only Interfax reports the comment; the other documents do not mention it.
- Where the meeting took place. The documents do not state a venue; Interfax's report carries a Moscow dateline.
- The full content of the RIA Novosti and TASS coverage. Only headlines and short summaries were available from those outlets.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Vedomosti publishes its report on Putin's remarks to teachers. [ 1 ]
- Interfax publishes its report, including Putin's comments on training quality and an education neural network. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti publishes its report under the headline that Putin urged teachers to stimulate pupils to train their intellect. [ 3 ]
- TASS publishes its report, saying Putin stressed that schoolchildren must not fail to train “their neural networks”. [ 4 ]