January 31, 2020

Do Russians Dream of Electric Sheep?


Do Russians Dream of Electric Sheep?
Fun fact: the 1921 Italian movie "The Mechanical Man" was the first film to feature a fight between robots. AlejandroLinaresGarcia, Wikimedia Commons

A recent survey of Russians has found that, despite widespread knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI), few understand the technology itself.

The study, conducted by VTsIOM (ВЦИОМ, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center), records that 75% of Russians have heard of AI. However, only 29% were able to define it, while 38% could name its applications. 

Overall, though, Russian opinions towards AI are positive, with only 12% of respondents reporting negative feelings towards the technology, and 68% unconvinced that AI will take their jobs.

By contrast, Americans tend to be more apprehensive. But we, too, are a little confused. So until we come to a consensus of what we should look out for, be wary of Alexa saying something like, "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."

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Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

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