Russia weighs expanding Yandex's Alice AI assistant access on mobile devices, including banking apps

Russia's Digital Development Ministry is considering new rules governing the mandatory preinstallation of Russian services on smartphones, tablets and other devices. The changes could substantially expand the permissions granted to Alice, the AI assistant developed by Yandex.

According to a source cited by the business daily Kommersant, Alice could gain access to banking apps and other applications that collect sensitive data and store it on their own servers. The source did not specify what kind of data might be involved.

Should the new rules take effect, the source said, Yandex's assistant could become a service with "access rights to user data far greater than any preinstalled app on the list." Sources for the outlet emphasized that the initiative is aimed directly at similar foreign smart assistants and AI models operating in Russia.

Draft document pulled for revision

In early August, the Digital Development Ministry published a draft resolution for public discussion that would update existing preinstallation rules, describing an AI assistant with "access to system functions, applications, notifications, authorization, and hardware capabilities." The ministry has since removed the document from its website for revision.

The ministry told Kommersant that the proposed changes are "at the discussion stage with the industry." Yandex had not responded to a request for comment as of publication.

Russia has required the preinstallation of domestic software on smartphones, computers and other electronics since 2021. Alice is already on the government's list of mandatory preinstalled apps for 2027.