Microsoft survey shows Russian companies the most active in adopting AI

Some 30 percent of Russia-based companies are employing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, leaving European and US firms behind, according to the results of a Microsoft survey of business leaders.

Russian executives are at least 7.7 percent ahead when it comes to adopting the technology, Microsoft said, adding that in France, for example, the level of AI use amounts to 10 percent.

The corporation unveiled the research titled “Business Leaders in the Age of AI” earlier this week. Some 800 executives from eight countries – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, the UK and the US – took part in the survey, which was conducted back in January among companies with more than 250 employees.

“We see that the interest to solutions based on artificial intelligence from businesses in Russia has increased significantly over the past year,” ABBYY Russia CEO Dmitry Shushkin said. He revealed that the software company’s revenues from AI-based projects rose 63 percent in 2018.

Russian executives are among those who appreciate AI in their business activities the most, saying that it helps them with company management. The businessmen also demonstrated huge interest in working with the technology more effectively, according to the Microsoft poll. To do that, 90 percent of Russian respondents were willing to consult professionals on the matter, while the average figure around the world is around 67 percent.

However, the research did not include one of the potential leaders of the AI race, China, which has been pouring money into many innovative fields, especially AI. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for increased development and use of the technology to secure the country’s future in “a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.”

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