The Ministry of Digital Development proposes to give developers and scientists access to government data sets for the development of AI

To stimulate research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), the Ministry of Digital Development proposes to give access to government data sets to scientists and developers from the commercial sector. These sets will be contained in a special repository created on the basis of the federal state information data management system. It is promised that the data provided will not contain personal information, medical documents or other restricted information. Experts welcome the authorities’ initiative, but see a number of risks in its implementation in the proposed form.

The Ministry of Digital Development proposes to create on the basis of the federal state information system “Unified Information Platform of the National Data Management System” a repository of state data sets for the development of AI technologies. It is assumed that universities, scientific organizations and accredited IT companies will be able to access it. The draft government decree has been published on the portal regulation.gov.ru.

The explanatory note to the document states that the provided sets will not contain personal data (including those obtained as a result of depersonalization), as well as information constituting a commercial or other secret protected by law. As the Ministry of Digital Development clarified to Kommersant, the composition of the sets will be determined based on the needs of companies and organizations, as well as their availability in the public sector. “The kits must be universal and suitable for a wide range of tasks. For example, a traffic video analytics and smart vision system will be able to collect information about the condition of the road surface, road signs, markings, assess the intensity of traffic flows, and so on,” the department noted.

Among the requirements for legal entities wishing to gain access to data sets is that the participation of foreign organizations in capital should not exceed 49%. The document also describes the procedure for reviewing applications for access to data sets. It is expected that ANO “Digital Economy” will interact with universities, scientific organizations, IT companies, government agencies and government organizations, draw up applications for the formation of data sets and send them to the Ministry of Digital Development. The agency will request the position of the owner of state data on the possibility of providing it, after which it will send a conclusion and an application for the formation of sets for consideration at a meeting of the presidium of the government commission on digital development. Requests for access to data sets will need to be submitted through State Services. Upon successful completion of the verification, legal entities will be able to download data sets and use them.

MTS supports the idea of ​​providing government data and exchanging data for the development of AI and considers it important, the company’s press service told Kommersant. “MTS AI participated in the preparation of the draft document, and now the company is studying its final version in detail,” they clarified.

The approach providing accredited organizations with access to data sets is generally consistent with that generally accepted abroad: in the USA, Australia, and the EU, notes Alexandra Orekhovich, director of legal initiatives at the Internet Initiatives Development Fund. However, in her opinion, a solution in which the use of data sets is ensured through the creation of a centralized, unified information system raises questions both from the point of view of technological implementation and data protection prospects. To promptly resolve issues regarding the transfer of data sets, their formation, and provision of access to the authorized body, a significant amount of human, material and time resources will be required, the expert notes. Otherwise, this process may be drawn out over time and will lose its relevance for developers, says Ms. Orekhovich.

Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Kuteinikov believes that expanding and facilitating access to data for developers of AI systems is the most important criterion for the effectiveness of technological development. “However, resolving this issue requires finding a balance between the interests of the state, business and citizens,” the expert warns. He recalls that the State Duma is preparing for the second reading of amendments to the law “On Personal Data,” which have already been criticized by businesses for attempting to create a state monopoly on data. The adoption of such a bill will affect the development of AI technologies and reduce entrepreneurial activity, the expert believes. According to him, the Ministry of Digital Development’s project, although it expands access to data for individual subjects, is based on the same logic as the amendments: government agencies will decide who is granted access and who is not.

Venera Petrova