The AI arms race is reshaping the global tech landscape, and not everyone's keeping pace. While Silicon Valley giants and Asian powerhouses pour billions into machine learning infrastructure, some major players are finding themselves on the bench.

Russia's AI sector faces a perfect storm of challenges. Brain drain hit hard—top talent migrated to regions with better funding and resources. Sanctions cut off access to cutting-edge chips and cloud infrastructure. The gap widens daily as competitors sprint ahead with foundation models, AI agents, and neural networks that'd make your head spin.

Here's what's wild: AI isn't just about chatbots anymore. It's becoming the backbone of Web3 development—from smart contract auditing to decentralized prediction markets. Countries lagging in AI development risk missing the entire next wave of digital innovation.

The lesson? In tech, standing still means falling behind. And in the race to build AGI, second place might as well be last place. The real question isn't who's leading today—it's who'll still be in the race five years from now.