Russian document recognition system developer Smart Engines will allocate 100 million rubles in 2026 to expand its Smart ID Engine age verification product to the markets of the CIS, BRICS, and MENA regions, CNews reports. This includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, India, and China.

The funds will also be used to develop an anti-fraud system for document authenticity verification technology. According to the company, the total investment in this area has already exceeded 600 million rubles. Smart Engines products already detect document deepfakes created with NanoBanana, MidJourney, ChatGPT, and more than 20 other generative models. The company plans to expand this list and improve the system's resilience to new generations of generative AI.

Smart ID Engine is designed for online age verification using documents. The system detects presentation attacks: glare, fingers, intentional field obstruction, and deepfakes. Part of the 100 million rubles has already been allocated for these improvements. The development is available for integration into mobile applications, web pages, and messengers. Recognition occurs entirely on the user's side – images and data are not sent outside the device.

Smart Engines' development is taking place against the backdrop of upcoming legislative changes. Maksut Shadaev, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, stated at SPIEF-2026 that the department is considering introducing age identification mechanisms on online platforms. According to him, this issue will definitely be on the agenda soon, and the Ministry of Digital Development is studying the experience of foreign countries that are already moving towards strict restrictions.