Putin: Leader in artificial intelligence will rule world

KEY POINTS

• Putin says that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world.
• Putin warned that "it would be strongly undesirable if someone wins a monopolist position".

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks to journalists following a live nationwide broadcast call-in in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2017.

Sergei Karpukhin | Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world.

Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises "colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now."

He warned that "the one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world."

Putin warned that "it would be strongly undesirable if someone wins a monopolist position" and promised that Russia would be ready to share its know-how in artificial intelligence with other nations.

The Russian leader predicted that future wars will be fought by drones, and "when one party's drones are destroyed by drones of another, it will have no other choice but to surrender."