Russian authorities rush out new ‘patriotic’ lesson for high schoolers based on Putin’s recent statements about ‘sovereign AI’

Putin’s recent speech about the “new world order” at the Valdai International Discussion Club has led the Russian Education Ministry to make last-minute changes to the curriculum for the patriotic “Important Conversations” lesson series in schools.

According to Agentstvo Media, Monday’s lesson will focus specifically on Putin’s statements about AI. This is the first time the Russian government has updated course materials mid-semester in response to a presidential speech.

Students in grades 8–11 will reportedly study direct quotes from Putin’s speech, including his remarks that “AI is impossible to ban” and that Russia “must develop its own sovereign artificial intelligence based on national algorithms and laws.”

Teachers will also have the option to show a video featuring Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of Russia's leading nuclear research institute and a close associate of Putin. In the video, Kovalchuk discusses the high energy demands of AI and emphasizes that “all war in the world, so to speak, is only over resources.”