The question of expanding the rights of voice assistants in Russia has once again come into focus. Amid discussions in the Ministry of Digital Development about the possibility of granting "Alice AI" expanded powers on smartphones, tablets, and smart speakers, Yandex has been quick to refute users' boldest concerns.
Boris Ryutin, who heads the security group for "Alice AI" and Yandex's self-driving transport, stated that the assistant does not receive and will not receive unrestricted access to user data, including banking applications. According to him, the assistant's capabilities are always strictly limited by the operating system's security mechanisms. Access is granted exclusively to those functions and data for which the user has given explicit permission.
Ryutin emphasized that "Alice AI" has no advantages over foreign counterparts, and its functionality remains within the framework of basic assistant capabilities. Moreover, he reminded that the device owner can always independently choose a pre-installed assistant in the settings—whether a Russian or foreign product. He called this right of choice basic and available to everyone.
The essence of the Ministry of Digital Development's initiative
The discussion arose after reports that the Ministry of Digital Development is working on the issue of including "Alice AI" in the list of software mandatory for pre-installation on devices imported into Russia. However, as it turned out, the matter is not about granting the assistant carte blanche for access to all data, but about including it in the registry alongside other domestic applications.
Earlier, a draft resolution that could expand the system rights of AI assistants had already appeared on the regulatory acts portal but was removed from public discussion in early August. Sources claim the document is currently being refined. The initial version mentioned the possibility for the assistant to gain access to system functions, notifications, and applications, but details of exactly what data the neural network would need inside banking utilities were not disclosed.
Risks and expert concerns
The very idea of pre-installing Alice is not surprising—the requirement to install Russian software has been in effect since the spring of 2021, and the list of applications is regularly expanded. In July 2026, Yandex Browser, Yandex Maps, 2GIS, Mail.ru Mail, and others were added to it.
However, the combination of mandatory pre-installation with potentially expanded rights raises serious concerns for me. Banking applications store a colossal amount of sensitive information: from account balances to CVC codes and passport data. Granting the assistant access to this data, even with user consent, creates a huge attack surface and potential for abuse. It is critically important that any changes in this area be accompanied not only by security declarations but also by real technical restrictions at the operating system level that cannot be bypassed.