Russian authorities in St Petersburg have begun rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) to detect illegal street vendors automatically, a local government press announced on August 4.

The AI-equipped mobile complexes can operatively determine locations where trading rules are violated, with property owners receiving fines of RUB50,000 ($625) when illegal objects are discovered, the press service of the State Automobile Inspectorate of St Petersburg said.

The unlucky first penalty was issued to a landowner in St Petersburg's Vyborgsky district, who received the fine in July.

The inspection proposes using neural networks to monitor compliance with decisions, with vehicles repeating routes four weeks later to assess whether inspection requirements have been met using one of 186 possible pathways.

The city stated the system “ensures violators cannot escape responsibility,” according to the official press release.

It added, “The automated system can identify violations in real-time during regular patrol routes, potentially increasing enforcement efficiency whilst reducing the workload on inspection staff.”

The RUB50,000 ($625) fine serves as a deterrent to illegal construction whilst providing violators with options to either comply with regulations through legalisation or remove unauthorised structures entirely, the city added.

Earlier, St Petersburg's administration announced plans to revise the tax regime for car-sharing, scooter-sharing, and marketplace companies that operate in the city but pay taxes in Moscow, Vice-Governor Alexei Korabelnikov announced on August 4.

Korabelnikov said such companies work and earn money across the country, but taxes flow exclusively to Moscow, which he described as unfair.

To address the situation, the city administration intends to work with the Ministry of Finance to introduce amendments to the Tax Code.

St Petersburg's tightening of the rules could set a precedent for other regional governments seeking to capture tax revenue from technology companies operating within their jurisdictions.