Legal Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Use in the State Governance Framework in the Russian Federation: Challenges and Opportunities

Introduction. Legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the state governance framework is important due to the rapid development of the respective technologies, which are already integrated into the work of the bodies of government power of the Russian Federation. Implementation of AI opens up new opportunities for optimisation of processes, increase of transparency and expansion of accessibility of government services. At the same time, it causes a number of difficult problems for the legislation to solve: from ensuring ethical standards and protecting personal data to development of the adequate legal mechanisms regulating the interaction between a human and a machine. Modern society requires the legal system to be flexible and efficient to correspond to the technological progress dynamics. Therefore, it is necessary not only to revise the acting legal norms, but also to determine the principles for the new AI-related legal norms to be built on. Only thoroughly elaborated legal regulation can create an environment, where the innovative solutions harmoniously complement the traditional institutions without infringing the rights of citizens, thus, strengthening citizens’ trust in the state authorities. The aim of the study is to investigate in detail the key problems, challenges and opportunities induced by the integration of AI into state governance in the Russian Federation, as well as to reason the need for forming a comprehensive legal regulation that simultaneously fosters the technological development of society and ensures protection of the citizens’ rights. Materials and Methods. The dialectical-materialistic approach was used as the main methodological tool, which allowed us to analyse the evolution of legal norms and the main trends of their application in the context of continuous technological development. Due to the use of historical, logical, system and functional analysis methods, it became possible to trace the development of the legislative initiatives referring to AI, identify the relationships between the norms of various branches of law, as well as to prove the importance of legal system holism and to study the legal norms as the tools for achieving the state goals and ensuring protection of interests of the Russian citizens. Results. Several pivotal results concerning legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the state governance framework in Russia were distinguished. The necessity of separating the concepts of “Smart Information Systems” (SIS) and "Artificial Intelligence Systems" (AIS) was substantiated. The expediency of creating a juridical classification of AIS by the level of autonomy and potential threat to the information security was proved. The need for development and adoption of the uniform ethical standards regulating the use of AI was reasoned, since in the context of the digital restructuring of state institutions, a uniform system of ethical standards would serve a basis for maintaining social sustainability and strengthening public trust in the state authorities. Particular attention was paid to the risk-oriented approach to implementation of AI into the work of the bodies of government power, which enables the distribution of the areas of responsibility and development of mechanisms for monitoring the crucial-decision-making systems. Discussion and Conclusion. Discussion of the legal framework for the use of artificial intelligence has now a leading position in the agenda of any state. Based on the international experience, Russia can form its own system of normative legal regulation aimed at reducing risks without infringing constitutional rights and freedoms. However, the process of developing and adapting the legislation on the use of AI in state governance framework requires close cooperation between scientists, jurists, programmers, and public officers. Only efficient cooperation of all stakeholders can ensure the harmonious coexistence of the trustworthy legal institutions and advanced technologies, and form a basis for the sustainable development of society. Future scientific research should be aimed at developing a harmonious legal model that would combine ethical principles, requirements to quality of data, and reliable procedures for monitoring algorithms and their results.