At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Russian representatives expressed the opinion that “development of artificial intelligence has become the event of 2017 in the world”, that Russia needs to create and to develop an ecosystem for promoting priority technologies (blockchain, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence). And at the Gaidar forum in the beginning of 2018 the RF Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued a word of caution that development of artificial intelligence may lead to reassessment of fundamental values, including in connection with reduction of personal space in human activities. The world is on the verge of a new long-term economic cycle — the sixth Kondratieff wave. As its driving forces, the specialists consider development of information and communication technologies, bio- and nanotechnologies and their convergence, the course for “environmental friendliness” of new developments and methods of management in general. According to Kondratieff’s theory of large cycles, which has become classic, social upheavals arise most easily in the period of the onslaught of new economic forces. So far, nobody managed to unequivocally answer the question: what awaits us if we learn to produce large numbers of robots with high intellectual abilities — a catastrophe or a blessing. Therefore, new research is needed to prove their benefit or harm to all of us. In the interview with Alexander Ageev, the editor-in-chief of the “ES” magazine, Professor Valery V. Ovchinnikov, Director of the Global Expertise Center of the Global Industrial Center in the countries of Latin America, Europe and China, Doctor of Economic and Technical Sciences tells about the history of creating microelectronics in our country and its innovation center in Zelenograd, the main problems in development of artificial intelligence, about international projects in this field, the brain drain problem and the inevitable social “accompaniment” of every technological revolution.

The present work focuses on the applications of decentralized network structures with split leadership to various spheres of society. They are denoted herein as hiramas (High-Intensity Research And Management Associations). Special emphasis is placed on the use of hiramas in the organization of nontraditional interdisciplinary creative labs and NGOs in civil society, interactive teaching, and in business. It is stressed that the importance of traditional hierarchical institutions exemplified by universities and academic research institutions is not diminished by the spread of alternative decentralized network structures. Hierarchical institutions are to be held responsible for the consolidation and self-identification of the national scientific community, for furthering the interests of the scientific community in the face of external and internal challenges, and for evaluating the performance of decentralized network structures to select the hiramas that should receive material and ideological support.

With exponentially accelerating scientific and technological progress, quantum technologies are gaining new impetus and promise the solution of numerous tasks that previously were not amenable to solution within the framework of “traditional” computing models. The consequences of the second quantum revolution will affect all spheres of life. Such branches as material science, nanotechnology, pharmacology, simulation of chaotic dynamic processes, etc. will gain new development. At the same time, quantum technologies carry certain risks and threats, in particular, the scrapping of all systems based on modern achievements in cryptography. The article gives a brief description of the current state of quantum technologies and the forecast of their development in terms of impact on various aspects of human civilization.

Dynamics of general transition to digital technologies in recent years is the evidence of radical restructuring in the system of world leadership factors. In order to be at the forefront of digitalization, it is necessary to make a wager for creation of domestic solutions. The problems and prospects of the Russian microelectronic industry, as well as its role in transition to the digital economy — these issues were discussed in the interview to the “ES” magazine by Director General of the Research Institute of Microelectronic Equipment “Progress” (JSC “NIIMA Progress”) Vasiliy V. Shpak.

Imagine that any part of Moscow or of any metropolis of the planet could be reached in less than 30 minutes. Miracles? But precisely this is the transport of the future, says a group of brave engineers led by Alexander Atamanov. Developers create only drones with a carrying capacity from 90 kg, which, according to designers’ plans, will compete on the market with other ultralight class aircraft, although the project was created as a non-profit. Such an idea could not but interest me, that’s why I decided to visit the Skolkovo Innovation Center, where designers work. The meeting was held on January 19 thanks to Andrey Solovyov, commercial director of Hoversurf, who introduced me to the team members. I talked to the chief designer Denis Sintgareyev and the 3D equipment engineer Alexander Avetisyan, as well as with the company founder Alexander Atamanov. I was received very cordially and, it seems to me, they frankly answered all the questions.

The article deals with the following questions: what is common for analytics and expertise, how they differ and how they are related to each other; what are the characteristics of the information society. Analysis of the purposes, sense and content of the analysis and expertise processes in the target vector of managing organizations, projects in the context of technical and social revolutions of the modern era of changes is carried out. The model, structuring the basic processes of analytics and expertise, is constructed, the criteria of their coherence and delineation are indicated. Constructive definitions of analytics and expertise are given. A taxonomic map of the basic processes of expertise and analytics in the organization is built. Proposed solutions provide the necessary basis for developing methodological and regulatory materials for practical application of analytics and expertise.

Crypto-currency is becoming one of the key factors for competitiveness of major players in national and global monetary and financial markets. Bitcoin has actually become one of the world’s currencies. State regulators’ conceptions about decentralization and autonomy of crypto-currencies create ever greater risks of currency-financial collapses owing to manipulative games and currency attacks of international speculative groups. Real beneficiaries of the crypto-currency volatility, as a rule, remain beyond visibility of the world community. Trends in the development of crypto-currencies as an increasingly important element of the world monetary and financial markets have determined for our country the need to form a mechanism for planning and coordinating the monetary and monetary policy of the EAEU member states with an agreed rate of a single electronic currency, circulation terms and conditions (zones, etc.) applying the principles of forming a transparent and unified organizational structure of financial institutions and markets within the framework of the EAEU.

The RF State Duma adopted in the third reading amendments to the Law “On Communications”. The documents acquired new important additions aimed at combating telephone terrorism and allowing to block telephone terrorists’ numbers. The authors of amendments became the Chairman of the State Duma V.V. Volodin, as well as the heads of the relevant committees on security and communications. First deputy head of “The United Russia” faction, Andrei K. Isaev, and the deputy head of the LDPR Political Party faction, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, Yaroslav E. Nilov, told in details about the amendments in their conversation with the special correspondent of the “ES” magazine Valentina Nikolskaya.

The Republic of Belarus today is on the threshold of global changes that will attract investments in the state economy and science from large world IT corporations. At the head of these innovations there is the Ministry of Communications and Informatization, one of the priority activities of which is the development of information and communication infrastructure in the republic, which is the basis for providing a wide range of services. Minister of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus, Honored Communications Engineer of Belarus Sergei P. Popkov in his interview with the “ES” magazine told about development of the international cooperation of Belarus in the field of communication and information, changes and innovations in the telecommunications industry in Belarus, the impact of the burgeoning digital society on communication services.

The authors of the present article dwell on the main topics and forecasts of the telecommunications industry development that were dominant in 2017 in the world, as well as the situation on the Russian telecommunications market, and draw a conclusion that the situation on the telecommunications market is somewhat similar to the situation on the fronts of the First World war in 1917.