Ukraine unveils AI spokesperson to ‘provide timely updates’ amid war with Russia who looks like a real influencer

Ukraine has introduced an AI spokesperson to provide information on its ongoing war efforts against Russia’s invasion of the country.

The AI ​​spokesperson, named Victoria Shi – after “victory” and the Ukrainian abbreviation of “AI” – is based on the likeness of Ukrainian singer and influencer Rosalie Nombre who agreed to participate pro bono.

The avatar is dressed all in black with a Ukrainian flag pin, her hair is pulled back and she is wearing studded earrings – but officials emphasized that the digital person and Nombre “are two different people.”

In a video released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Shi introduced herself and described her role and functions, saying she was built to protect “the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens abroad.”

Victoria Shi was created in the likeness of Rosalie Nombre (pictured), a Ukrainian singer and influencer, who agreed to participate pro bono

The decision to add a spokesperson for the AI ​​MFA was “not a fad” but is a requirement for war efforts, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a Google-translated release. rack.

“After all, to achieve the results necessary for the country,” he said, “it is necessary to accelerate all processes and be one step ahead.”

Speaking about her role as a representative of the Ukrainian MFA, Shi said in her video message: ‘My task will be to report operational and verified information from the Consular Department of the MFA of Ukraine to the public.

“I will inform journalists about the work of consuls in protecting the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens abroad, responding to incidents or emergencies and other news.”

Ukraine is using AI in other areas of its war effort, including locating landmines, identifying war crimes and relocating displaced civilians. Pictured: A warehouse in Odesa, Ukraine, was destroyed in a rocket attack by Russian forces in June 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the owner of the AI ​​company Palantir in 2022 and has since been using his AI data analysis software for his war efforts

The MFA has taken steps to protect Shi from hackers and digital counterfeiting by placing a QR code at the bottom of each video that takes viewers directly to a text version of the statement on the official government website.

If there is no QR code on the video, the MFA warned that it is not considered authentic, but also clarified that Shi is not a substitute for a human Ukrainian MFA spokesperson.

Shi was invented to save the MFA’s time and resources by allowing Ukrainian leaders to focus on other tasks, such as assisting citizens, Kuleba said.

“Diplomacy, not only in Ukraine but all over the world, has always been a conservative field that was the last to introduce innovations,” he continued.

‘We are changing that. Ukrainian diplomacy is now strengthening its capabilities and making a technological leap that no diplomatic service in the world has yet made.”

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, falsely claiming the country was ruled by neo-Nazis. President Vladimir Putin claimed he was sending troops to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine.

Ukraine’s introduction of an MFA spokesperson comes as other countries have started introducing AI news anchors who can read the news 24 hours a day, speak multiple languages ​​and do not need to be paid.

China, India, Greece, Kuwait and Taiwan were among the first countries to introduce lifelike AI anchors to the newsroom.

China introduced AI-generated anchor Lisa last year and representatives from Odisha TV – the news channel that hosts Lisa – said she would be helpful in the newsroom, the station’s director Jagi Mangat Panda told the Chinese morning mail.

“(Lisa) does the tasks that are repetitive and data analytical so that news people can focus on new angles and more creative work,” Panda said.