HSE’S Achievements in AI Presented at AIJ
The AI Journey international conference hosted a session led by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko highlighting the achievements of Russian research centres in artificial intelligence. Alexey Masyutin, Head of the HSE AI Research Centre, showcased the centre’s key developments.
In his speech, Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasised that supporting research and development to ensure AI's advanced growth is a primary goal outlined in Russia's National AI Development Strategy, approved by the president and set to run until 2030. ‘Our president emphasised that Russia must become a global leader not only in AI creation but also in its widespread application across all areas of life,’ the deputy prime minister stated.
Government-supported AI research centres play a critical role in achieving this goal. The three-year cycle of six ‘first-wave’ research centres concludes in 2024. Dmitry Chernyshenko highlighted HSE University as a key AI competency centre alongside Moscow State University, Skoltech, Innopolis, and others. At the pitch session, Alexey Masyutin presented the HSE AI Research Centre's results from 2021 to 2024.
Alexey Masyutin
Alexey Masyutin emphasised the importance of the centre's three-year work cycle and highlighted its significant achievements: ‘In 2021, we started in partnership with three companies from fintech, telecom, and IT—industries with traditionally high levels of AI adoption. By 2024, we expanded our list of industrial partners, developing solutions for companies in tourism (where AI adoption is just beginning), as well as transportation safety and manufacturing. We build our AI solutions based on fundamental research, evidenced by our staff’s publications in A* conferences. Looking ahead, we anticipate progress in two areas: scaling existing approaches across various economic sectors and working on ground-breaking methods, such as multi-agent systems interacting with accumulated knowledge bases, aligning with Russia's AI development goals. I am confident that in the future, the HSE AI Research Centre will continue to make a significant contribution to achieving the National AI Development Strategy’s objectives.’
Tatyana Soyuznova
Dmitry Chernyshenko announced a new flagship research centre selection process for 2025. These centres will focus on developing and adapting large foundational models for economic applications, creating conditions for strong AI, and making AI technologies more accessible for everyday use. A newly established Project Office for AI Science, ‘SAPFIR,’ will oversee these efforts. Tatyana Soyuznova, Deputy Managing Director of Expertise and Financial Support at the Skolkovo Foundation, stated: ‘Our goal is to make AI science in Russia understandable, effective, and attractive to everyone.’
In his speech, Dmitry Chernyshenko shared that the HSE Faculty of Computer Science’s Continuing Education Centre, commissioned by the AI Alliance Russia, has developed a benchmark continuing professional programme in AI—'Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for Executives.’ The course is designed for executives tasked with implementing AI-based solutions. The programme includes an introduction to the principles of AI and generative models, along with case studies and existing solutions. A number of executives from federal and regional government bodies have already completed the training.
HSE researchers actively participated in the conference programme:
— Ivan Arzhantsev, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science, presented a report ‘Open Code Cryptography and AI.’
— Alexey Naumov, Director for Basic Research at the AI and Digital Science Institute and Head of the International Laboratory of Stochastic Algorithms and High-Dimensional Inference, presented a report ‘Group and Mix: Efficient, Structured Orthogonal Parameterisation.’
— Vladimir Spokoiny, Chief Research Fellow at the International Laboratory of Stochastic Algorithms and High-Dimensional Inference, discussed ‘Theoretical Foundations of AI Methods.’
— Igor Chernitsin, Research Assistant at the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Empirical Studies (Perm), talked about a spatial forecasting system for air pollutants developed at the AI Research Centre during the session ‘Climate. There Is Only One Earth.’
— Maria Chumakova, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Anastasia Ugleva, Deputy Director of the Centre for Transfer and Management of Socio-Economic Information, participated in the session ‘Ethics: AI White Book.’
Archived streams of AIJ 2024 are available on the conference’s official website.
See also:
Drivers of Progress and Sources of Revenue: The Role of Universities in Technology Transfer
In the modern world, the effective transfer of socio-economic and humanities-based knowledge to the real economy and public administration is essential. Universities play a decisive role in this process. They have the capability to unite diverse teams and, in partnership with the state and businesses, develop and enhance advanced technologies.
AI on Guard of Ecology: Students from Russia and Belarus Propose New Solutions to Environmental Problems
An international online hackathon dedicated to solving environmental problems was held at HSE University in Nizhny Novgorod. Students employed artificial intelligence and computer vision to develop innovative solutions for image segmentation, predictive modelling (forecasting future events based on data from the past) of emissions and creating chatbots for nature reserves and national parks.
Taming the Element: How AI Is Integrating into the Educational Process Around the World
Artificial intelligence is gradually becoming an indispensable part of higher education. Both students and teachers use it to reduce the volume of routine tasks and expand their capabilities. The limitations and prospects of AI are discussed in the report ‘The Beginning of the End or a New Era? The Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in Higher Education,’ published in the journal Modern Education Analytics, under the scientific supervision of HSE Academic Supervisor Yaroslav Kuzminov.
A New Tool Designed to Assess AI Ethics in Medicine Developed at HSE University
A team of researchers at the HSE AI Research Centre has created an index to evaluate the ethical standards of artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in medicine. This tool is designed to minimise potential risks and promote safer development and implementation of AI technologies in medical practice.
HSE Researchers Develop Novel Approach to Evaluating AI Applications in Education
Researchers at HSE University have proposed a novel approach to assessing AI's competency in educational settings. The approach is grounded in psychometric principles and has been empirically tested using the GPT-4 model. This marks the first step in evaluating the true readiness of generative models to serve as assistants for teachers or students. The results have been published in arXiv.
‘Philosophy Is Thinking Outside the Box’
In October 2024, Louis Vervoort, Associate Professor at the School of Philosophy and Cultural Studies of the Faculty of Humanities presented his report ‘Gettier's Problem and Quine's Epistemic Holism: A Unified Account’ at the Formal Philosophy seminar, which covered one of the basic problems of contemporary epistemology. What are the limitations of physics as a science? What are the dangers of AI? How to survive the Russian cold? Louis Vervoort discussed these and many other questions in his interview with the HSE News Service.
HSE Scientists Propose AI-Driven Solutions for Medical Applications
Artificial intelligence will not replace medical professionals but can serve as an excellent assistant to them. Healthcare requires advanced technologies capable of rapidly analysing and monitoring patients' conditions. HSE scientists have integrated AI in preoperative planning and postoperative outcome evaluation for spinal surgery and developed an automated intelligent system to assess the biomechanics of the arms and legs.
HSE University and Sber Researchers to Make AI More Empathetic
Researchers at the HSE AI Research Centre and Sber AI Lab have developed a special system that, using large language models, will make artificial intelligence (AI) more emotional when communicating with a person. Multi-agent models, which are gaining popularity, will be engaged in the synthesis of AI emotions. The article on this conducted research was published as part of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) 2024.
Neural Network for Assessing English Language Proficiency Developed at HSE University
The AI Lingua Neural Network has been collaboratively developed by the HSE University’s AI Research Centre, School of Foreign Languages, and online campus. The model has been trained on thousands of expert assessments of both oral and written texts. The system evaluates an individual's ability to communicate in English verbally and in writing.
HSE University and Yandex to Host International AI Olympiad for Students
The HSE Faculty of Computer Science and Yandex Education are launching their first joint AI competition, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis Olympiad (AIDAO), for students from around the world. Participants will tackle challenging tasks in science and industry and interact with experts from HSE and Yandex. The winners will receive cash prizes.