Creation of the First Autonomous Internet Systems in Siberia as a Spatial Diffusion of Innovations

The diffusion of innovations influences the socioeconomic development of regions, but the specifics of such diffusion are not always clear. Typically, contagious or hierarchical spatial diffusion is studied. However, the diffusion of information and communication innovations has led to the need to understand network diffusion. It has not previously been studied using artificial intelligence algorithms and in relation to an autonomous Internet system, which is understood as a geographically distributed—local or regional—network with a single administrative body and its own routing policy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the spatiotemporal features of the creation of the first autonomous systems in Siberia using a specially developed algorithm for machine generation of rules and meta-rules. The study relied on a priori rules obtained from analysis of the deployment of postal networks in pre-Soviet Siberia, data on the registration of autonomous systems in Siberia in 1995–2017, and the values of seven socioeconomic indicators influencing the diffusion of innovation. An algorithm for machine generation of logical inference rules is proposed, using a genetic selection scheme and construction of meta-rules by means of rule clustering. Using the proposed algorithm, a study was conducted of the diffusion of innovation in 44 settlements (centers of autonomous systems) and 12 regions of Siberia. Eight meta-rules for promoting innovation between cities and three meta-rules for disseminating innovation across regions were obtained. Two innovation waves, three periods of network formation, and three atypical cases of autonomous systems creation were identified. It has been established that Siberia is characterized by priority provision of Internet access in large regional centers, a predominantly linear territorial structure, and an impulsive diffusion of innovation. Five directions for further study of the diffusion process are proposed. Practical significance may be associated with the development of measures to minimize the negative socioeconomic consequences of the introduction of information and communication technologies, including spatial digital inequality.