The 16th Russian Internet Governance Forum will convene once again, reaffirming its role as a leading national platform for inclusive dialogue on key issues shaping the digital environment and the evolution of Internet governance.

The Opening Session, a central element of the Forum’s programme, will bring together representatives of government, industry, and the expert community. In their remarks, speakers will set the stage for the discussions ahead by outlining strategic priorities for the development of the Internet ecosystem, addressing emerging challenges, and highlighting opportunities for enhanced international digital cooperation.

The session will focus on reviewing efforts over the past 20 years to carry out the decisions of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) and the global dialogue on the digital agenda. Participants will discuss the principles on which international cooperation in the field of digital development is based today, where the key lines of disagreement lie, and whether there is still potential for meaningful dialogue in a rapidly changing international context. Special attention will be paid to whether new agreements at the highest level can become the basis for a more coherent approach to digital governance, considering that sometimes views of the participants in the global conversation can become extremely polarized.

Artificial intelligence is already transforming decision-making processes, communications, content production, and digital services, shaping structural shifts in governance and economics. In this section, we will talk about the transition to adaptive regulatory models and a new architecture of responsibility between the state, platforms and developers. A separate focus is on the possible wave of 2027-2035 associated with the development of autonomous agents, AI ecosystems and agentic AI. Participants will also consider key constraints and stress points: access to computing resources and energy, staffing shortages, issues of trust, standardization and auditing, as well as the cross-border movement of models and data.

The cultural code is the key to understanding the culture of different nations and their unique features. It is transmitted through language, traditions, history and art, ensuring the continuity of cultural identity. Language plays a key role in this process as a carrier of meanings and a tool for shaping the worldview. In the context of digital transformation, the preservation of the cultural code is becoming a strategic task. Participants in this section will discuss how to ensure the presence of national languages and cultural codes in the online space, digital technologies which can become a tool for protecting linguistic diversity, transferring traditional knowledge and creating a sustainable cultural environment in the global network.

The digital ecosystem has become an integral part of Russian medicine. The Public services portal and regional services have dramatically changed the patient's first contact with the system: 87% of doctor's appointments are booked online today. Telemedicine and AI-based solutions are experiencing rapid growth: in four years, the number of telemedicine users has grown 7.5 times and exceeded 3 million people. People are increasingly eager to use affordable and technologically advanced medical solutions, which corresponds to a global trend: in 2025, the number of people using digital health tools around the world reached 1.4 billion. The rapid integration of artificial intelligence creates new opportunities while also raising fundamental issues that require an in-depth discussion by the professional community.

Digital risks for children are evolving faster than the tools designed to counter these risks: there are phishing and data leaks today, and tomorrow we will face AI manipulation, digital identity theft and new forms of hidden harm. The government, business and the non–profit sector have already accumulated substantial practical experience in dealing with these threats, from parental control mechanisms and educational initiatives to a system-wide assessment of the digital environment and the development of indicators of online childhood safety. The discussion will focus on the transition from reactive measures to strategic forecasting: identifying the harbingers of future threats and forming a proactive model for protecting children in the digital environment. Special attention will be paid to the psychological aspects of safety, the analysis of typical risks and practical recommendations for parents. Participants will also discuss the universal nature of many digital risks and the potential of national practices as a basis for international dialogue and the development of common approaches and standards for the protection of children online.

In the era of digitalization, data sovereignty is becoming a key challenge for states and businesses. Initially, the term Sovereign Cloud was a marketing slogan used by cloud service providers, emphasizing data localization and compliance with national regulations. However, the evolution of geopolitical risks, including sanctions and cyber threats, has transformed it into a mandatory provision in contracts. The session participants will discuss how the sovereign cloud is moving from declarations to practical standards that ensure data control without dependence on foreign vendors. Special attention will be paid to sovereignty as a service model, in which infrastructure management is reserved for hyperscalers, creating political vulnerability for countries without their own technical capabilities. The discussion focuses on European, Russian and Asian practices, the integration of sovereign clouds into government strategies and the risks of cloud ecosystems in the face of increasing protectionism.

In 2010, the Coordination Center for Top Level National Domains established a special award, Virtuti Interneti (Service to the Internet) unique in the Runet. It is awarded to representatives of the worldwide web community, business, sciences and the government who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Runet and the global Internet. Candidates are shortlisted by the Programs Committee of the Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF), and the awards ceremony and subsequent lecture by the winner have become a tradition for the RIGF program.

Generative neural networks are rapidly moving from the experimental stage to everyday practice and are becoming a significant factor in technological development. They increase labor productivity, reduce costs, accelerate management processes, and form new digital services and business models, helping companies improve their competitiveness and having a noticeable impact on the development of national economies. International practice contains a wide range of regulatory solutions, from minimal intervention to complex models covering the entire service lifecycle. In the absence of unified global approaches and limited case law, experts have been focusing their conversation on searching for a balanced regulatory format.

In recent years, the digital market in Russia has undergone a structural transformation. Business promotion has long moved beyond a simple mix of advertising tools. Today, it operates as an integrated ecosystem that brings together platforms, marketplaces, retail and fintech services, purchase data, and algorithmic recommendations.

This session will explore:

• How to build a cohesive business promotion architecture in the current landscape
• The impact of AI and automation on the customer journey
• Attribution modeling: identifying which channels drive demand and which lead to conversion
• Strategies for measuring advertising effectiveness in an era of data fragmentation
• Key structural shifts and technological innovations likely to shape the market in 2026

In the shifting geopolitical landscape, the development of internet technologies compels us to seriously rethink traditional notions of the parameters and tools of social interaction, impacting virtually all aspects of life, including international relations. Currently, digital communication tools are influencing not only the speed, style, and content of international dialogue but are also transforming diplomatic language itself, offering new opportunities for building a positive national image and advancing state interests. Intercultural communication, perhaps for the first time, is acquiring a truly global character.

Closing ceremony, wrap-up, Presentation of the Results of the RIGF 2026 Youth Special Course, presentation of the articles submitted for RIGF 2026.