Maxim Oreshkin: AI Investments Surpass Manhattan Project and Apollo Program Costs

Investments in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have exceeded the cost of US nuclear weapons projects and the human lunar mission program, Russian Presidential Administration Deputy Chief of Staff Maxim Oreshkin said.

"There's a huge amount of money behind this major breakthrough [in AI]. If you look at the volume of investment in 2024 prices, the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons technology in the US cost the American economy $80 billion. The entire Apollo program, which lasted for many years, including the program to send humans to the Moon, cost $215 billion. Investments in generative artificial intelligence in just one year exceeded $450 billion, or about twice the entire expenditure on the Apollo program," he said at the 2nd Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth" at the National Center "Russia."

According to Oreshkin, humanity is pouring all its best resources into this technology—from electric power to specialists.

"Everything is concentrated in this area. That's why we're witnessing such progress. Humanity has placed a direct bet on AI technology as the foundation of its future growth," he concluded.