MINSK, 26 January (BelTA) – At a meeting to discuss the establishment of an educational center to train gifted youth for professions of the future, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko shared his views on the introduction of artificial intelligence, BelTA has learned.
“Modern life is already impossible without artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, robotics, nano- and biotechnologies, as it is fashionable to say today. I’m using the popular terms that have taken root in our society. Although, to be frank (and perhaps a president shouldn’t say this), I don’t agree with much of it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
The president noted that artificial intelligence has increasingly become a topic of discussion. “I once rode in a car that had artificial intelligence. If there are lane markings, you can switch on cruise control and it reads the road. You don’t need to steer – the car moves in the right direction. I thought hard about it: what kind of artificial intelligence is this? It’s just automation at work,” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that he has been reflecting more and more on the fact that it was not foolish, but rather advanced and creative people who defined this as artificial intelligence: “They needed to introduce this field into society, didn't they? They did. I don’t dispute that, but sometimes I wonder about the terms we use almost every day.”
“If we rush headlong into new technologies, we must do so very, very carefully,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Speaking about the development of modern technologies, the president pointed to another trend that has recently captivated many people: unmanned aerial vehicles. “Entire plants and factories are producing them. And not only in Ukraine and Russia, where people are fighting with them today, and quite effectively. But also in Belarus and further north, they are being churned out from morning till night,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
However, the Belarusian leader raised the question of how drones could really help Belarus in military operations. “Would they be of great use in forested and swampy terrain? Especially in forests. In the steppe or desert everything is in plain sight: you launch the ‘bird’ [meaning UAV], find the target, and attack without any obstacles getting in the way. But in the forest? Again, these are just my reflections,” he emphasized.
In this context, the head of state expressed confidence that traditional weapons (pistols, rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers) and the ordinary soldier remain indispensable. “That is why I pay significant attention to the development of traditional artillery with these 152 mm shells and Grads. Do you know what a Grad is? A forty-barrel system that we produce ourselves, along with the ammunition for it. Without this, it is also very difficult to manage in the special military operation, I know this for certain,” he assured.
Aleksandr Lukashenko once again emphasized that Belarus should not abandon the areas of production it has already mastered. “This must be done; we have the schools for it. Tractor manufacturing, automobile production, combine harvester construction, and much more. We know how to make many things, and such products are always in demand worldwide. We do not intend to give them up,” the president stated.
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