MOSCOW, RUSSIA / RankWire.AI / – On July 17, the Federation Council sanctioned a legislative framework at the national level for artificial intelligence, establishing guidelines for large foundational models within Russia. The legislation specifies which technologies are covered and delegates authority to government agencies. It also sets standards concerning model ownership, domestic data storage, user transparency, and AI-produced content. The bill was approved by the State Duma on July 8 and awaits presidential assent and official publication before becoming law at the federal level.
The bill characterizes a large foundation model as software capable of executing various intellectual tasks at a level comparable to humans. To qualify, a system must contain no fewer than 1 billion parameters. Such systems can generate information, support decision-making or predict outcomes based on human-defined objectives. The framework emphasizes principles including technological sovereignty, human rights, personal choice, security, and compliance with Russian legislation. These principles are applicable throughout the development, deployment, and operational phases of qualifying AI systems.
The legislation introduces classifications for sovereign and national models, linked to Russian jurisdiction. A sovereign model must be developed by a Russian legal entity and hosted on data centers located within the country. Its creators must maintain the ability to reproduce the entire development process, including training and original parameters. A national model adheres to similar ownership and localization rules but may incorporate foreign software components licensed openly, provided Russian entities retain necessary control and operational capacity.
Legal Designations for Domestic AI Systems
The government may support developers involved in creating, deploying, or managing qualifying foundational models. Such support could include access to state-controlled datasets for training purposes. Authorities might also mandate the exclusive use of sovereign or national models within government information systems and other sensitive domains. Additional rules concerning defense, security, public safety, and property protection could be established through separate legislation or presidential decrees. These bodies are responsible for enforcing such requirements within their legal authority.
Large digital platforms are subject to a distinct obligation regarding AI-generated audiovisual content. Platforms with over 500,000 daily users are required to offer a tool enabling users to label such material. This applies to websites, applications, and social media platforms. The regulation does not demand automatic labeling of every item but allows developers and users to agree on the format of notices through service agreements. The core requirement is to provide an option for creators and distributors to disclose qualifying content.
Standards for Copyright and Content Transparency
AI service providers are required to inform users about ownership rights related to generated material. They must clarify access conditions and whether content can be downloaded or transferred. The legislation also addresses the use of copyrighted works in machine learning. It permits analysis for extraction, comparison, classification, and pattern detection when lawful access has been obtained. Training models with protected works is allowed if no technical restrictions were bypassed to gain access. These rules connect model training practices with existing copyright and access laws.
The majority of provisions are set to become effective on September 1, 2026, following presidential approval and official promulgation. Regulations concerning domestic model classification, developer responsibilities, content marking, and intellectual property will commence on March 1, 2027. Existing systems may continue to operate until September 1, 2032, provided they process and store data within Russia. Until the formal approval and publication are completed, the bill remains an approved draft rather than an enacted federal law within Russia’s legislative framework.