Dear colleagues, partners, friends!

We congratulate everyone on the 80th anniversary of the great Victory over nazism. Let us honor the memory of all those who died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, kneel before living war veterans and those who helped achieve Victory in the rear. Let us do everything to eradicate nazism, which has raised its head on the outskirts of history. Let us wish victory to those who are now courageously fighting on the fronts for a just cause. Happy Victory Day!

Please meet the second issue of the scientific and analytical journal “Information Society” for 2025. The main theme of the issue is Digital technologies: use and right of refusal. The articles in this issue cover, among others, the following topics:

Challenges in the implementation of generative AI
Evolution of data analysis technologies
Use of the digital ruble
Change in understanding of reality
“Natural” and “improved” brain
Political role of artificial intelligence
Efficiency of ICT application in higher education
Changing role of a person in legal relations in the information age
Alternative metrics of publication activity
Innovation processes in an industrial enterprise

In her address to readers “Yes to digital opportunities, no to digital colonialism,” the journal’s editor-in-chief Tatiana Ershova wrote:

I have three female acquaintances, communication with whom is a real quest. Of course, they are not from a professional environment, but from a personal one, and two of them are significantly younger than me, that is, they belong to the generation of “children of perestroika”. It is even stranger that they completely reject modern technologies. They live with push-button phones and of all means of communication, they use only e-mail, and even this causes them difficulties. They watch movies in cinemas or on TV, write letters by hand, make purchases only in stores and markets, pay utilities and taxes at banks, receive payment notifications in mailboxes. No smartphones, tablets, messengers and social networks – that which makes communication fast, convenient and effective. Issues that I resolve with others in a few seconds, with them can take several days, or even weeks, if, for example, they are on vacation somewhere or, God forbid, are sick.

These people have made a conscious choice: to reduce the use of any modern technologies to an absolute minimum. They categorically do not accept the digital world, considering it evil, depriving a person of his nature, destroying normal connections between people, eroding morals and values, damaging education, making a person defenseless against the authorities, scammers, spammers and cyberterrorists. Of course, there is some truth in this position, and it cannot be ignored. The specific dangers and risks of the information society are studied by serious scientists in different countries of the world, discussed at conferences and on television programs, but this is not done to dissuade people from using technology, but mainly so that they can reliably protect themselves. Moreover, there are now plenty of proven tools for such protection, and they are constantly being improved. My like-minded people are supporters and promoters of digital technologies that make people’s lives better and more interesting; at the same time, the task of society and the education system remains the education of people in such a way that they strive for knowledge and work and develop moral qualities. Technologies are not responsible for this – they are just a multiplier that magnifies everything good and bad that is in a person and in society.

But, be that as it may, we cannot ignore the right of people to refuse to use technologies, just as it would be immoral to forcibly impose an alien religion on indigenous tribes. The times of colonialism and missionary work are over, and reviving them in the digital age is hardly a good idea. At the same time, people who choose to refuse “digital” should have all the rights and opportunities guaranteed by the constitution. This means that appropriate non-digital mechanisms must be provided for their implementation.

In this issue, the human right to use digital technologies or to refuse them is discussed in an interesting polemical article by the author from St. Petersburg Viktor Naumov “Law and the “Butlerian Jihad”: reflections on the threats of using artificial intelligence.” The author and the editors of the journal invite everyone to discuss the article and the scientific discussion on this topic.

The full text of the issue can be found on the journal’s website.

On April 3, 2025, a meeting of the State Council Commission on Data Economy was held in the Government House of the Moscow Region in Krasnogorsk. It was attended by the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, representatives of the presidential administration, the Federation Council, departments, regions and business.

The meeting was opened and closed by the chairman of the commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation on Data Economy, the governor of the Moscow Region Andrey Vorobyov. “In February, the president announced the launch of a new national project “Data Economy” and set the task of implementing solutions that help to optimally build relationships between residents, businesses and the state. Our commission has been entrusted with coordinating the work on the digital transformation of public administration. It is necessary to make it more convenient for people to receive federal and regional government services. It is important that you can pay your apartment bill and connect to gas without leaving home. Another key task is to reduce bureaucracy. What used to take months can now be resolved in a few days. This saves budget funds at all levels,” Vorobyov explained.

Earlier, the Moscow Region presented initiatives at State Council meetings, some of which are now being successfully tested in the region. These are electronic payment orders, boiler house and winterization passports, digital contracts for gas equipment maintenance, and a data showcase instead of reports. These practices can be extended to other regions. The governor also spoke about the VseSeti (AllNetworks) service, created on the basis of the regional government services portal. It simplifies the approval of documents.

“The goal that the president and the government are guiding us towards is to build schools, kindergartens, roads, electric and gas networks as quickly as possible. One of the bottlenecks is the large number of approvals with resource organizations. Our VseSeti project involves simultaneous electronic notification of all related parties. Now it takes 12 months, and with digital interaction we will spend a maximum of 14 days,” the head of the region explained.

The State Council also discussed the issue of eliminating barriers to the provision of public services. According to Vorobyov, 71 services in the Moscow Region have been identified that require optimization. These include, for example, address assignment services, provision of housing and communal services subsidies, and a subsidy to support the agricultural industry.

Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation – Head of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Grigorenko delivered reports on “A New Approach to Regional Digital Transformation” and “Governor’s Dashboard”. All Russian regions will connect to the digital public administration system “Governor’s Dashboard” this year. This is an electronic service that presents up-to-date indicators on key areas of the region’s work and its interaction with the federal center. This includes the implementation of national projects, instructions and legislative initiatives, budget execution, implementation of plans for the construction of schools, kindergartens and clinics, and work with citizens’ appeals.

“First of all, this is a digital management model. The “Dashboard” displays in real time the tasks facing the subjects of the Federation, as well as appeals or problems that regions form before the federal government. The goal is for everyone to perceive and see not only these tasks, but also the status of their implementation in the same way,” Grigorenko noted. He called the “Governor’s Dashboard” a system not so much for monitoring as for preventing the situation. All activities are digitalized and have a deadline. With the help of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, it is possible to understand which activities may not be completed on time and respond to this in advance.

The rating of regional leaders of digital transformation and the regional digital transformation program were presented by the Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Center for Expertise and Coordination of Informatization” Alexey Chukarin.

The proposals for the rating of federal leaders of digital transformation (services with federal barriers) were voiced by the Vice-Governor of the Moscow Region, Lyudmila Bolataeva.

The Minister of Public Administration, Information Technology and Communications of the Moscow Region, Nadezhda Kurtyanik, presented the status of the initiative in terms of reducing reporting. The Moscow Region proposes to interact electronically in order to avoid duplication on paper and automatically receive data that is in the “digital” rather than entering it manually. Together with federal colleagues, the Moscow Region is forming the principle of data exchange between data marts. The principle of single entry will be ensured. According to experts, this will save 3.5 million working hours across the country.

The report “Digital Region Portal – Unified Platform of AI Solutions” was presented by the First Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Information Technology and Communications of the Moscow Region, Ilya Girenko, and the Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Grigory Borisenko.

The meeting of the State Council Commission on the Data Economy was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Information Society, Yuri Hohlov.

Sources: Radio 1, IRIO

On March 27, Moscow Witte University held the XXI International Congress with elements of a scientific school for young scientists “Malyshev Readings — 2025”, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the outstanding Soviet Russian specialist in the field of information systems, Chairman of the State Committee of the RSFSR on Science and Higher Education (1990—1991), Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on Science and Higher Education Nikolai Malyshev.

The following honorary participants delivered welcoming speeches to the audience:

• Rector of MUIV Alexander Semyonov
• Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific director of the Federal Research Center “Informatics and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Mathematics of Moscow State University Igor Sokolov
• Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education Gennady Onishchenko.

The program of the event included:

• Plenary session
• Scientific sections
• Two large-scale discussion panels:

1. Panel “Artificial Intelligence as a Megatrend of Digital Technologies” — with the participation of experts from Skoltech, MIPT, Federal Research Center “Informatics and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc.
2. Panel “Between Human and Algorithm: What Kind of Intelligence Does Society Need” — with the participation of representatives from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, RAS, Kosygin Russian State University, and other structures.

During the day, the participants discussed the impact of AI on education, economics, law, and society. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Information Society Yuri Hohlov spoke at the plenary session in the panel discussion “Facets of Intelligence: Artificial and Natural Thinking in Dialogue”, which became an important contribution to the discussion of current issues related to the development of artificial intelligence, the interaction of technology and society.

The Congress once again confirmed its status as one of the leading events in the scientific and educational environment of the country.

On March 20–21, 2025, the 14th International Scientific and Practical Conference “Information Technologies and Mathematical Methods in Economics and Management” (IT&MM-2025) was held at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

This annual conference is dedicated to the memory of Anatoly Ivanovich Kitov (1920–2005), a Russian scientist who devoted his life to the formation and development of cybernetics, computer science, information retrieval systems (IRS), algorithmic programming languages, automated control systems (ACS) and their implementation to solve problems of strengthening the defense capability of our state, the national economy of the country, as well as national healthcare and medicine.

Renowned scientists have repeatedly noted A. I. Kitov as a pioneer and uncompromising fighter for cybernetics, computer science and ACS, emphasizing his enormous contribution to the development of these sciences. It is necessary to especially note the scientific and civic courage of A. I. Kitov, who, at the risk of his own career, put forward large-scale projects for managing the national economy and the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union based on new computer technologies. A number of ideas and proposals of A. I. Kitov were ahead of their time by decades.

In essence, A. I. Kitov proposed a global computer network system. Subsequently, it was developed throughout the world and is now known as Grid technologies – the unification of many computing resources to solve problems of a global scale.

On March 20, 2025, a plenary session of IT&MM-2025 was held, dedicated to the consideration of current issues of the creation and use of advanced information technologies and mathematical methods in the field of economics, management and education. The main attention of the event participants was focused on the problems of developing the digital economy and digital business. The following reports were presented at the plenary session:

1. Igor Sokolov – Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Director of the Federal Research Center “Informatics and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dean of the Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University
   Computational Infrastructure of Lomonosov Moscow State University
2. Arutyun Avetisyan – Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Institute of System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences
   Artificial Intelligence: Two Sides of Trust
3. Viktor Kitov – Associate Professor of the Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Senior Researcher of the Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence, Neurotechnology and Business Analytics of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics
   Online Textbooks on Machine and Deep Learning Deepmachinelearning.ru
4. Yuri Hohlov – Chairman of the Board of Directors, Institute of the Information Society, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Academician of the Russian Engineering Academy
   Sectoral digital development: international experience and Russian practice
5. Vladimir Koren’kov – Scientific Director of the Laboratory of Information Technologies of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Professor
   Methods and technologies for data processing in heterogeneous computing environments
6. Dmitry Panyukov – Director of the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development (co-authors Doctor of Economics A. O. Gurdus, PhD, Associate Professor V. A. Kitov, General Director of JSC RT A. V. Pastukhov)
   A single digital space of interaction as a factor in harmonious development: towards the implementation of the UN Millennium Declaration
7. Mikhail Mazurov – Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor (co-author PhD, Associate Professor A. A. Mikryukov)
   Artificial intelligence technologies based on mind maps and cognitive maps
8. Alexey Arustamov – Director Analytical Technologies LLC (Loginom)
   Artificial Intelligence in Action: Optimization of the Data Processing Pipeline

Thematic sections were held on March 20-21, 2025.

Section 1. Mathematical Methods for Analyzing Economic Information and Managing Socioeconomic Processes

Section 2. Concepts and Technologies of the Digital Economy

Section 3. Digital Education. Information and Communication Technologies in Economics and Education

Section 4. History of the Creation of Information Technologies and Their Use in Management and Economics

Section 5. Enterprise Engineering Based on Modern Information and Communication Technologies

Section 6. Student Research Initiatives

Source: https://it-mm.rea.ru/

On this special occasion of International Women’s Day, we extend our heartfelt congratulations and deepest admiration.

May your days be filled with boundless good fortune, fulfilling work that inspires you, and a personal life overflowing with joy and cherished moments with loved ones!

The first issue of the Information Society Journal for 2025 is published. The main theme of the issue is The digital age and its possibilities. The articles in this issue cover, among others, the following topics:

Understanding the conceptual foundations of information society development
Institutional regulation of digital trade
Analysis of investment attractiveness of innovative sectors of the economy
The impact of digital transformation on foreign policy
Information support for consumer cooperatives
Chatbots and video blogs as auxiliary learning tools
Encyclopedia as a source of knowledge about the history of demography and statistics
Technologization of the judicial process using China as an example
Cybersecurity systems for an autonomous robotic complex
Remote sensing of the Earth to improve management efficiency in the information society

In her address to readers “Summing up the results of 2024,” the journal’s editor-in-chief Tatiana Ershova wrote:

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It is impossible for us to ignore the dramatic and potentially unpredictable events surrounding Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Each of them could have a powerful impact on the course of events in the world, but we will focus on the revolution started by Elon Musk, who headed the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) under the Trump administration.

The reformer has declared his mission to be to expose corruption and reduce gigantic bureaucratic costs, which, according to him, could reach $1 trillion. He wants to save the US economy from the debt crisis and restore investor confidence. He intends to reduce costs by automating some government functions with the help of artificial intelligence.

Reuters reports that as early as February 2025, Trump and Musk fired 9,500 federal employees as part of their campaign to reduce bureaucratic red tape in the US. These people joined about 75,000 people who agreed to voluntarily leave with a compensation package. The cuts also affected the diplomatic corps: several sources reported that some embassies were asked to reduce both American and local staff by 10%.

It is very difficult to predict how this risky venture will end. If everything works out, the United States could become the first major economy to successfully reform its bureaucratic system using AI and digital technologies. However, if the reform fails, the country could face even more serious economic and social problems, the first of which will be rising unemployment and a decline in trust in government institutions.

In Russia, AI is being dynamically introduced into the work of government agencies, but we are not doing this to reduce the number of their employees, but rather counting on a radical improvement in the quality and increase in the volume of work performed. The most obvious areas of AI application are working with citizen requests, communications between government agencies, working with texts (for example, regulatory legal acts), modeling and forecasting, analyzing government spending, and much more. Time will tell whether the country’s economy will receive a bonus in the form of the release of a large number of qualified personnel and their use in other sectors.

People of science can only observe these processes, comprehend them and share the results of their research with the public. And we, of course, publish scientific articles on this topic.

Our journal has been actively publishing articles on AI since 2020. And they are by no means only purely technological. This issue also contains two such works. One of them is devoted to the use of AI for the administration of electronic justice (using China as an example), the second – to the use of neural networks by people with hearing impairments. Paying due attention to all thematic sections, we will follow research in the field of the most advanced technologies with attention and interest.

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The full text of the issue can be found on the journal’s website.

On February 26, 2025, the Russian Engineering Academy held a solemn ceremony of awarding diplomas “Information Partner of REA”.

The event opened with a speech by REA President Boris Gusev, who spoke about the history of the creation and development of the Academy. First Vice President and Chief Scientific Secretary of REA Leonid Ivanov spoke about the publishing activities of the Academy.

In the photo: President of the Russian Engineering Academy B. V. Gusev and Editor-in-Chief of the Information Society journal T. V. Ershova

Then, official representatives of the editorial offices were awarded Diplomas of REA Information Partners. On behalf of the scientific and analytical journal “Information Society”, the diploma was received by the editor-in-chief Tatiana Ershova.

The Information Society journal has been published by the Institute of the Information Society jointly with the Russian Engineering Academy since 1999. The journal covers issues of the information society development in Russia and abroad. In 1989, it began to be published as the Bulletin of the Russian Society of Informatics and Computer Engineering, and in 1997 it received its current name.

Nowadays this is a Russian periodical that consistently and systematically covers scientific achievements, as well as public policy in the field of information society and digital economy development. The journal’s materials are aimed at forming a Russian community of scientists, experts, politicians and practitioners purposefully engaged in issues of using information and communication technologies for socio-economic development.

The audience of the magazine includes decision-makers in the field of using digital technologies in public administration at the national and regional levels, in the social sphere, in business, in production, in the media; a wide range of specialists in the field of creation and use of digital technologies; scientists and researchers; workers in the fields of education and culture; individuals interested in the problems modern information society and knowledge economy development.

Since February 26, 2010, the journal has been included in the list of periodicals recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia for publication of the results of candidate and doctoral dissertation research. The journal is also indexed in the national bibliographic database of scientific citation (RSCI). The materials published in it undergo a procedure of peer review and expert selection. Since 2020, the journal has been published in electronic form.

Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Grigorenko instructed to develop a unified system for assessing the effectiveness of digitalization programs for federal ministries and departments. He voiced this task during a meeting with digital transformation leaders in federal government agencies.

As part of this work, federal RCTs must submit proposals for assessment parameters that will measure the results of digital transformation. Such “effects” of digitalization may include, for example, a reduction in monetary and time costs or the quality of services provided to citizens.

The task is to assess the real “effect” of introducing digital technologies in public administration. This will clearly define areas for further development. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Information Society Yuri Hohlov presented an expert commentary on this matter.

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The development of the information society today means socio-economic changes that occur due to the use of digital technologies on the scale of a country, region or an area of activity, be it a branch of the economy, a social sector or a system of public administration and local government. It is no coincidence that one of the national development goals of the Russian Federation until 2030 is digital transformation, or more precisely, digital development that brings economic and social dividends. The complexity of the studied socio-technological system of digital development lies not only in modeling the processes of innovative development (from production through use to impact) based on digital technologies, but also in the need to create conditions that contribute to the successful functioning of these processes.

It is commendable that the federal government will monitor and evaluate the level of digital transformation of federal government bodies, focusing on the impact that digital technologies have on their activities. However, in order to draw the right conclusions and make management decisions based on monitoring and evaluation, it is necessary to take into account not only the final effects, but also a large number of factors that are not always technological in nature. A similar integrated approach has been implemented in recent years by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia when assessing the level of digital transformation of priority areas of activity, including the public administration system. Pilot monitoring (based on a limited set of indicators based on Rosstat data) showed that the public administration system is inferior to such areas of activity as financial services, trade or higher education in terms of the socio-economic effects obtained from digital transformation. And the reasons for this are not only the low level of use of digital technologies (especially such as artificial intelligence or big data analytics), but also the lack of qualified personnel, the absence of large volumes of data in digital form, poorly developed digital infrastructure, and other factors. Therefore, a unified system for assessing the effectiveness of digitalization programs for federal government bodies should be comprehensive and allow monitoring all stages of the digital development life cycle and the factors influencing these processes.

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For more detail refer to Cnews publication.

Dear colleagues, partners, and friends!

The IIS team congratulates you on the upcoming year 2025 and wishes you new successes, new hopes and achievements in the new year.

We wish you all strong health, personal happiness and optimism!

Happy holiday and fruitful vacations!