Russia has warned that the unchecked development of artificial intelligence could widen global inequality and create a new form of colonialism, with Africa at risk of becoming a raw‑material appendage of the AI economy. The warning came from Andrey Akulchev, Acting Director of the Department of International Information Security at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a session titled “AI as a Factor in Development of Russia and Africa: Science and Personnel” at the third Russia‑Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow.
“If development of artificial intelligence is left unregulated, digital divide could become a new global watershed and fertile ground for modern forms of colonialism,” Akulchev said.
Akulchev said Russia supports equal access to technology and takes the interests of Global South countries into account. He warned that “Africa must not become either a raw‑material appendage of the new AI‑based economy or a free data warehouse for those who train their models on it.” The forum concluded with a declaration on AI that enshrines each country’s right to independently determine its policy in the field and promotes multilingual solutions, including Swahili, Yoruba, Hausa, Amharic and Zulu.
“We also invite our African colleagues to cooperate on the basis of our laboratories,” said First Deputy Minister of Economic Development Maxim Kolesnikov. “Together with foreign scientists from our centres, as well as foreign partner centres from 36 countries, we held International AI Foresight last year.”
Kolesnikov added that Russia has supported 13 research centres in artificial intelligence, employing more than 2,000 scientists since 2021, and that one of the preparatory sessions for the International AI Foresight was held in Morocco with representatives from African countries.
Both officials framed the discussions as part of Moscow’s broader strategy to position AI cooperation as a pillar of the Russia‑Africa partnership. The approach is anchored on technological sovereignty, local capacity building and respect for national regulatory autonomy, rather than one‑way technology transfer.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
