Kremlin begins preparations for new Putin Direct Line, Peskov says
In short
The Kremlin has begun preparations for a new Direct Line with President Vladimir Putin, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov told the Vesti information system that neural networks, including one from Sberbank, are being used in the preparations, and that the Sberbank network has “substantially matured” and will allow more appeals to be processed. No date for the event was given.
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The Kremlin has begun preparations for a new Direct Line with President Vladimir Putin, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS, Kommersant and RBC. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Peskov said the work had started this year, in comments to the Vesti information system. RBC reported that he spoke to Pavel Zarubin for Vesti. “This year we have also already started preparing for the Direct Line,” Kommersant quoted Peskov as saying. [ 2 , 3 ]
Neural networks are being used in the preparations, including a network from Sberbank, which Peskov said has “substantially matured and will allow even more appeals to be processed”, Kommersant reported. The network is used for the primary sorting of the multi-million flow of appeals, flagging requests that need urgent resolution and appeals from the most vulnerable categories of citizens, according to the same report. Kommersant said this allows priorities to be set not only by the total number of messages but also by region and the nature of the problems raised. [ 2 ]
Kommersant also recalled that a Kremlin representative said days earlier that presidential administration staff use AI to process “reference information” but never when preparing reports for the head of state. [ 2 ]
In December 2024, the artificial intelligence processed a single message in no more than seven seconds, Kommersant reported, a speed that allowed the most popular topics in a given region to be identified almost in real time and one problem's perception to be compared across Russian regions. According to Putin, the neural network helped determine the priority topics for the broadcast, which made preparing his answers easier, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The Direct Line is a format in which Putin answers appeals from the public, and the documents describe how AI is used to sort the multi-million flow of messages and set priorities for the broadcast. Which topics the system flags can shape what is discussed on air. The documents give no date for the event, so its timing and scale remain open.
Key facts
- The Kremlin has begun preparations for a new Direct Line with President Vladimir Putin, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Peskov made the statement to the Vesti information system, in a conversation with Pavel Zarubin, according to RBC. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Neural networks are being used in the preparations, including a network from Sberbank, according to Kommersant. [ 2 ]
- Peskov said the Sberbank neural network has “substantially matured and will allow even more appeals to be processed”. [ 2 ]
- The neural network is used for the primary sorting of the multi-million flow of appeals, flagging requests needing urgent resolution and those from the most vulnerable categories of citizens, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- A Kremlin representative said earlier that presidential administration staff use AI for processing “reference information”, but never in preparing reports for the head of state, according to Kommersant. [ 2 ]
- In December 2024, the artificial intelligence processed one message in no more than seven seconds, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The date or timing of the Direct Line is not stated. None of the documents give a date for the event, only that preparations have started.
- Details of the AI used beyond the Sberbank network, and the network's name or version, are not given. Kommersant is the only document describing the technology and does not name the Sberbank tool.
- Whether the neural network helped determine priority topics for the broadcast rests on Kommersant's account of Putin's earlier remarks. The claim appears in a single document and is not carried by the other outlets.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that Peskov said preparations for a new Putin Direct Line have begun. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reports that neural networks, including a Sberbank network, are being used in the preparations. [ 2 ]
- RBC reports that the Kremlin has begun preparations, citing Peskov in a conversation with Pavel Zarubin for the Vesti information system. [ 3 ]