MOSCOW, RUSSIA / RankWire.AI / – The Federation Council has given the green light to a national bill establishing guidelines for artificial intelligence on July 17, outlining regulations for large foundational models within Russia. This legislation defines the scope of applicable technology and allocates authority to governmental agencies. It also sets standards concerning model ownership, storage of data domestically, user notifications, and content generated by AI. Having cleared the State Duma on July 8, the bill now awaits presidential approval and official publication to become law at the federal level.
The act characterizes a large foundation model as software capable of executing various intellectual tasks at a level comparable to humans. To qualify, a system must comprise at least 1 billion parameters. Such systems can provide information, make decisions, or predict outcomes based on human-defined objectives. The framework emphasizes principles such as technological sovereignty, human rights, personal choice, security, and compliance with Russian legislation. These principles govern the development, deployment, and utilization of qualifying AI systems.
The legislation introduces categories of sovereign and national models linked to Russian oversight. A sovereign model must originate from a Russian legal entity and operate on data centers located within the country. Its creators are required to maintain the ability to reproduce the full development process, including training and original parameters. A national model adheres to similar ownership and localization requirements but may incorporate foreign open-licensed software components, provided Russian entities retain control and operational capacity.
Legal Classifications for Domestic AI Models
The government might support developers involved in creating, deploying, or managing qualifying foundational models. Such support could involve access to state-held datasets for training purposes. Authorities may also mandate the exclusive use of sovereign or national models within government information systems and other sensitive areas. Additional rules related to defense, security, public order, and property protection might be established through separate legislation or presidential decrees. The framework assigns responsibility to state bodies for enforcing these requirements within their legal capacities.
Large digital service providers face an additional obligation concerning AI-generated audio and visual content. Platforms with more than 500,000 daily users must offer a feature allowing users to label such content. This applies to websites, apps, and social media platforms. The regulation does not require automatic labeling of all items but allows developers and users to agree on the format of notices. The key objective is to enable users to disclose qualifying material easily.
Standards for Copyright and Content Disclosure
AI service providers are mandated to inform users about rights ownership of generated content. They must also clarify access conditions and whether content can be downloaded or transferred. The legislation separately addresses copyrighted works used in machine learning, permitting analysis for extraction, comparison, classification, and pattern recognition when lawful access was obtained. Training models with protected works is allowed if no technical restrictions were bypassed. The rules connect model training to existing copyright and access regulations.
Most provisions are set to become effective on September 1, 2026, following presidential approval and official publication. Regulations concerning domestic model status, developer obligations, content marking, and intellectual property will take effect on March 1, 2027. Existing systems may operate until September 1, 2032, provided they process and store data within Russia. Until the legislation is officially signed and published, the measure remains an approved bill rather than a fully enacted federal law according to Russia’s legislative procedure.