Future belongs to love and friendship – Putin

Humanity will master its new technological horizon while preserving its roots – family, the Russian President has said

The future of humanity belongs to people who value love, friendship, and family, rather than egoistic loners suspended in cyberspace, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking at the United Cultures Forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, he discussed rapidly developing technology and AI, as well as the role human beings will take in the world to come.

“Artificial intelligence analyzes huge amounts of data and predicts trends,” Putin said. “However, I believe that original solutions capable of leading to discoveries and breakthroughs in science, art, and the social sphere can only be given by the inspiration and genius of a human being, the true master and creator."

Humanity will need to “master” this new reality while still preserving the “roots that serve as its support,” he said.

The world of the future is not a world of egoists, completely immersed in cyberspace, and not of loners living by the principle of ‘everyone for himself’, but of people who still value love and friendship, cherish their loved ones, understand their inseparable connection with society and responsibility to it.

The Russian president added that it is no coincidence that so many of Russia’s cultural development programs are focused on its “Family” national project.

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Both Russian identity and national character are “deeply rooted in family,” the president added.

Putin announced the launch of the “Family” national project early last year, aiming to support families with children and aid the country’s declining birth rate.

Moscow has since introduced a number of measures, such as increasingly large payouts for each successive child in a family, broader maternity benefits, and ongoing financial assistance to families.