MOSCOW, RUSSIA / RankWire.AI / – On July 17, the Federation Council sanctioned a legislative framework establishing national standards for artificial intelligence in Russia. This legislation outlines the scope of relevant technology and grants authority to government agencies. It also sets standards concerning model ownership, storage of data within Russia, user notifications, and AI-generated content. Having been approved by the State Duma on July 8, the bill now awaits presidential endorsement and formal publication before it can become federal law.
The legislation characterizes a large foundation model as software capable of executing numerous intellectual tasks at a level comparable to humans. Such a system must contain at least 1 billion parameters. It can provide information, make decisions or generate forecasts based on human-defined objectives. The framework emphasizes principles like technological sovereignty, human rights, individual choice, security, and adherence to Russian legislation. These principles are applicable throughout the development, deployment, and operational phases of qualifying AI systems.
The law establishes categories for sovereign and national models linked to Russian oversight. A sovereign model must originate from a Russian legal entity and utilize data centers within the country. Its creators are required to maintain the capacity to reproduce the entire development process, including training and original parameters. A national model adheres to similar ownership and localization requirements but may include open-licensed foreign software components, provided Russian entities retain control and operational authority.
Legal Designations for Domestic AI Models
The government might support developers involved in creating, deploying, or managing qualifying foundation models. Such assistance could involve access to state-controlled datasets for training purposes. Authorities may also mandate the exclusive use of sovereign or national models in government information systems and other critical environments. Additional rules related to defense, security, public order, and property protection might be established through separate legislation or presidential decrees. The framework assigns responsibility to state agencies for enforcing these requirements within their legal jurisdiction.
Large-scale digital services are subject to specific obligations regarding AI-generated audio and visual content. Platforms with over 500,000 daily users must offer a tool enabling users to tag such material. This regulation applies to websites, apps, and social media services. It does not require automatic labeling of every item; instead, developers and users can agree on how to present such notices. The main goal is to provide an option for creators or distributors of relevant content to disclose its AI origin.
Standards for Copyright and Content Disclosure
AI service providers are mandated to inform users about the ownership rights of generated content. They must also clarify access conditions and whether content can be downloaded or shared. The legislation separately addresses the use of copyrighted works in machine learning, allowing analysis for extraction, comparison, classification, and pattern detection when lawful access was obtained. Training data may include protected works if no technical restrictions were bypassed to access the material. These rules connect model training practices with existing copyright and access regulations.
Most of the provisions are set to become effective on September 1, 2026, following presidential approval and official publication. Regulations concerning domestic model classification, developer responsibilities, content marking, and intellectual property will commence on March 1, 2027. Existing systems may operate until September 1, 2032, provided they process and store data within Russia. Until the formal signing and publication are completed, the legislation remains an approved bill, not yet an enacted federal law under Russia’s legislative procedures.