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)

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Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
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Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

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