Majority of Russian Workers Want AI to Replace Corrupt Officials, Poll Shows
More than half of economically active Russians would prefer artificial intelligence to govern them rather than human bureaucrats, according to a SuperJob poll released May 15. Fifty-five percent of working respondents support replacing state officials with AI algorithms.
Those backing the shift cited AI's efficiency, lack of bias, and immunity to corruption. The technology cannot get tired or take bribes-qualities survey respondents saw as improvements over current governance.
The 45% who opposed the idea raised accountability questions. They asked who would face legal consequences for system failures, and whether errors in algorithmic decision-making could be corrected.
Support Breaks Down by Demographics
Support for AI governance varied significantly across gender, income, and age lines. Men favored the idea at 61%, compared to 49% of women.
Wealthier and older respondents showed stronger support. Sixty-eight percent of Russians earning over 150,000 rubles monthly backed AI officials, as did 63% of those over 45.
AI in Parliament, Not Just Bureaucracy
The public's appetite for algorithmic governance extended beyond low-level administrators. Fifty-four percent of respondents supported partially replacing parliamentary deputies with AI systems to analyze voter requests and avoid what they called "populism."
High-ranking Russian officials have echoed this sentiment. Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev said AI could replace at least half the country's officials, calling bureaucrats "simple, formatted people." Sberbank CEO Herman Gref noted that algorithms "do not understand where and why to take a bribe."
Political Pushback and Real Consequences
Not all officials embrace the concept. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin rejected algorithmic lawmakers outright, arguing that AI "has no conscience" and warning colleagues never to surrender decision-making power to neural networks.
The political risks are real. Natalya Komarova, former governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, proposed replacing all state officials with neural networks, leaving only the Russian president. She resigned shortly after.
Technical Obstacles Block Implementation
Russia's domestic AI sector faces severe constraints that could derail any plan to integrate algorithms into state administration. The Kremlin's isolationist policies have created friction between government ambitions and industry reality.
A draft bill from the Ministry of Digital Development would require neural networks to use only domestic data and hardware. Major companies, including state oil giant Rosneft, have criticized the mandate as technically unworkable.
Industry leaders argue that building "sovereign" AI disconnected from the global tech ecosystem is not feasible. This gap between public support for AI governance and the practical ability to deploy it remains a significant obstacle.
For government professionals, the debate highlights a broader tension: public demand for algorithmic efficiency versus the institutional and technical challenges of implementation.
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