The Research Center "Strong Artificial Intelligence in Industry" was established at ITMO University. It has won the grant competition under the federal project 'Artificial Intelligence' twice in a row (2021, 2025). In 2025, the Analytical Center for the Russian Government selected a total of seven winners—research centers based at leading universities. These centers are intended to serve as key hubs for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in Russia.

The federal project was developed by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, with the participation of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, the Competence Center for the FP, and the working group at the Digital Economy Autonomous Non-Profit Organization (ANO), as part of the implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence until 2030.

The main goal of the project is to increase the number of domestic developments in the field of AI and address the talent shortage in high-tech companies. The objective is to create conditions for businesses and citizens to use products and services based primarily on domestic AI technologies, ensuring a qualitatively new level of efficiency in their operations.

Key focus areas of the project include:

• Supporting promising scientific research;
• Developing and enhancing software that utilizes AI technologies;
• Stimulating demand for products created using AI technologies;
• Promoting and growing a community of industry professionals

Under the federal project, government support is provided not only to research centers but also to businesses, including over 1,000 startups. In addition to financial assistance, they are granted access to government datasets.

Moreover, the federal project is actively advancing education in AI technologies. New bachelor’s and master’s programs have been developed and launched, along with supplementary professional education courses for teachers and business reoresentatives.

It is expected that by 2030, the implementation of the project will help improve the prosperity and quality of life of Russians, strengthen national security and the law enforcement system, achieve sustainable competitiveness for the Russian economy, and secure a leading global position in the field of artificial intelligence.

Today, there is widespread discussion and writing about artificial intelligence (AI). Often, the average person imagines it as some unified system capable of either surpassing human mental and cognitive abilities or at least functioning at the same level as humans. In reality, however, it encompasses a broad range technological and software solutions, varying in complexity and purpose. Those designed to solve highly specialized tasks are traditionally classified as Weak AI. Meanwhile, systems capable of self-learning, solving diverse problems, interacting, and adapting to uncertainty and changing conditions are classified as Strong AI.

Weak AI attempts to mimic the solution of specific, highly narrow tasks related to basic human cognitive functions. Strong AI, on the other hand, can simulate (reproduce) higher human cognitive functions, including creative and inventive activities—for example, designing an apartment layout, writing poetry, or creating a digital twin of a production facility.

In the context of decision-support systems, this approach enables the reproduction of metacognitive processes implemented through advanced learning capabilities. Such systems can assist professionals across various industries at a fundamentally new level when dealing with intellectual and creative tasks under conditions of uncertainty and incomplete information.