Russian authorities have shown interest in a platform powered by artificial intelligence that can psychoanalyse personality from posts on social networks. The study was commissioned by the Analytical Center under the Government (AC), reports «Коммерсант».
According to tender documentation, using digital traces “opens up wide opportunities for assessing personality and predicting behaviour without conducting a psychological test that requires voluntary consent.”
“Even the absence of traces on social media by the person themselves leaves room for fairly accurate profiling based on the traces of their closer and more distant circle,” the technical assignment states.
The profiling tool is planned to be used when appointing individuals who make state or corporate decisions. Mass profiling of the population could also become a “predictor of mass behaviour, for example, in conditions of social conflicts and demonstrations,” the document states.
Representatives of the AC confirmed intentions to develop a platform for analysing the behaviour of Russians. The centre believes that it will help combat “death groups,” involving citizens in terrorist organisations and incitement of hatred.
According to experts, similar tools may contravene data-protection laws. Alexander Orekhovich, Director of Legal Initiatives at the Internet Initiatives Development Fund, emphasised that to conduct psychoanalysis on data from social networks, user permission is required:
“The prospect of a contractor processing data from social networks that the person does not make public raises even more questions.”
The tender for the study, valued at 36 million rubles, was commissioned by the Ivannikov Institute of System Programming. The contractor will be selected on 29 November 2021. He must complete the work by 1 September 2024.
Earlier in October, the Federal Bailiff Service announced its intention to connect artificial intelligence to the search for debtors.
In August, in Saint Petersburg, an AI system for social-media analytics, which identifies users of “death groups” or teenagers with suicidal tendencies, was presented.
In May, the head of Roskomnadzor spoke about the use of artificial intelligence in the search for illegal content online.
Subscribe to ForkLog news on Telegram: ForkLog AI — all the news from the world of AI!