Passions are running high around the voice assistant "Alisa AI." The reason is an initiative by the Ministry of Digital Development, which is discussing the possibility of granting the neural network expanded rights on smartphones, tablets, and smart speakers owned by Russians. Behind the scenes, talk has emerged that the assistant could receive something close to carte blanche for access to banking apps and other sensitive data. Yandex has hastened to set the record straight.
Official Position: Access Strictly Limited
Boris Ryutin, head of the security group for "Alisa AI" and Yandex's self-driving transport, gave a clear answer: the assistant does not have and cannot have unlimited access to user data. According to him, Alisa's capabilities on mobile devices are always strictly regulated by the operating system's security mechanisms. The assistant sees exactly as much as the device owner has allowed, and nothing more.
Ryutin emphasized that "Alisa AI" receives no additional privileges and has no advantages over foreign counterparts. It only has access to the standard set of functions available to any pre-installed assistant. Moreover, the user always has the right to choose which assistant to use—Russian or foreign—and this fundamental right remains inviolable.
What the Ministry of Digital Development Is Actually Discussing
The essence of the project currently being refined by the ministry is to add "Alisa AI" to the list of software mandatory for pre-installation on devices imported into Russia. Formally, this places the assistant on par with other domestic applications that have long been required to be present on new devices. However, analysts see a hidden risk here: combining mandatory pre-installation with potentially expanded rights could create a unique market position for Yandex, bordering on monopolization.
The draft version of the document, which has already disappeared from the regulatory acts portal, mentioned wording about a "systemic AI assistant based on sovereign or national foundation models." This sparked a wave of speculation that Alisa would gain access to system functions, notifications, and even banking utilities—up to storing confidential data on its own infrastructure.
My Take on the Situation
It is telling that Yandex has so quickly and firmly distanced itself from any talk of expanded access. In an era when issues of digital sovereignty and data security are coming to the forefront, any hint that an AI assistant could "see" your finances is a reputational time bomb. However, the very framing of the question about Alisa's pre-installation and rights is just the tip of the iceberg. The real battle will be over control of user data and ecosystems, and here the regulator's position will be decisive. The market should closely watch how this story develops—it will set the trend for years to come.