Russian President Vladimir Putin was in for a surprise at his end-of-the-year conference in Moscow as he responded to questions from ordinary citizens and international journalists here. Unexpectedly, he was confronted by an AI-generated clone of himself, who questioned him on the use of body doubles and artificial intelligence.
A person claiming to be "a student from St Petersburg" used a nearly identical, AI-generated representation of the Russian President and asked Putin about rumours surrounding him using a body double and the dangers of artificial intelligence via a video link.
"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, causing the audience members to laugh as Putin briefly appeared lost for words. "And also: How do you view the dangers that artificial intelligence and neural networks bring into our lives?"
After a moment of rare hesitation from Putin, he replied by saying that he prefers to be the one and only Russian President. "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.
"That is my first double, by the way," Putin added as an afterthought, prompting laughter among the audience again. There has been recent speculation that Putin has one or more body doubles to cover for him due to alleged health problems. However, the Kremlin has denied such rumours as "absurd information hogwash" and said that the President remains in excellent health.
Putin on AI
Regarding the use of AI, Putin said that it was impossible to stop the development of such technology or prevent the creation of artificial super intelligence that could learn to feel, distinguish odours, and gain cognitive functions, RT reported.
He also emphasised that Russia must become the leader in AI technology, or at least do everything within its power to be one of the global leaders in this direction. However, it is impossible to predict how this would end, he further mentioned.
Rumours of cardiac arrest
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Putin suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital, sparking discussions about his well-being. The source of the information is reportedly a Kremlin insider who runs a Telegram channel called 'General SWR'. According to reports, General SVR said that the 71-year-old Putin suffered a cardiac arrest in his presidential bedroom and was found lying on the floor with overturned food and drinks.
Notably, there have been several rumours about Putin's health, including one where he is believed to be terminally ill with cancer for over a year. However, Putin has always reemerged and dispelled these rumours, causing many to believe these as deliberate attempts to create uncertainty.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed rumours of Putin suffering a cardiac arrest, affirming that he was fine and in good health. Peskov denied speculation that Vladimir Putin is ill and said rumours he uses a body double are an "absurd hoax". "Everything is fine with him, this is absolutely another fake [story]," he said.
(with inputs from Reuters)
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