WATCH: Putin Faces Putin ‘Body-Double’ After Rumors of Ill Health, Says ‘There Can Only Be One Like Me’
This incident revived past speculation, especially in Western media, about Putin’s possible use of body doubles in certain public appearances, allegedly due to alleged health problems.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared momentarily speechless on Thursday when confronted with an AI-generated version of himself. A video of Putin’s interaction with his ‘double’ has now been widely shared on social media. The ‘double’ took the opportunity to ask Putin a question about the dangers of AI. “Hello, I study at Saint Petersburg State University. I want to ask: is it true that you have many doppelgängers? the doppelgänger asked, prompting laughter from the audience. “And also: how do you view the dangers that artificial intelligence and neural networks bring to our lives?”
The unexpected question caused a rare moment of hesitation for Putin, who was already in the middle of a long question-and-answer session lasting several hours. After a pause, Putin responded with his trademark assurance: “I see that you may look like me and speak with my voice. But I thought about it and decided that only one person should be like me and speak with my voice, and that will be me,” he said.
“By the way, that’s my first double,” the Russian president added.
‼️🇷🇺 🤣 A student from St. Petersburg asked Vladimir #Putin a question about neural networks. It turned out to be fun.
By the way, this is my first double…’ Putin said #Russia pic.twitter.com/6MyvvSFmdj
— Maimunka News (@MaimunkaNews) December 14, 2023
This incident revived past speculation, especially in Western media, about Putin’s possible use of body doubles in certain public appearances, allegedly due to alleged health problems. However, the Kremlin has repeatedly refuted these claims, emphasizing the president’s excellent health.
The longtime Russian leader has called on Russia to rival “biased” Western chatbots with its own technology. On Thursday, he said it is “impossible to stop AI,” adding: “That means we have to take the lead.”
Putin has repeatedly called on Moscow to end its dependence on Western technology and ordered his government to pour money into developing supercomputers and AI research.