MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin encountered an unexpected twist during his annual news conference when an AI-generated version of himself posed a question about artificial intelligence. Laughter erupted in the audience as the virtual double asked Putin about the existence of look-alikes and sought his views on the risks posed by artificial intelligence and neural networks.

After a momentary pause, Putin responded, "I see you may resemble me and speak with my voice. But I have thought about it and decided that only one person must be like me and speak with my voice, and that will be me." With a touch of humor, he added, "That is my first double, by the way."

The question about body doubles touched upon persistent speculations, particularly in Western media, regarding Putin having stand-ins for certain public appearances due to purported health concerns. The Kremlin has consistently refuted these claims, asserting that the president is in excellent health. The interaction added a unique and unexpected dimension to the lengthy news conference, where Putin had been fielding questions for several hours.