A new AI-generated employee named Victoria Shi has been introduced as a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With the goal of sharing verified information on consular services, emergency situations, and other news, Shi will be engaging with the public through the ministry’s official website and social media channels. Standing in front of a Ukrainian flag, Shi embodies the image of a government representative, dressed in a turtleneck and blazer with the ministry logo pinned to her lapel.
Named after the country’s main goal, “the victory of Ukraine,” Shi represents a move by the ministry to free up human diplomats during wartime by employing a digital human. As conflicts between Ukraine and Russia continue, the AI spokesperson will allow real diplomats to focus on other tasks of providing assistance to citizens, according to Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs. The ministry sees the incorporation of technology, including artificial intelligence, as a broader strategy to enhance its diplomatic efforts.
Although AI models and influencers are becoming more prevalent online, Ukraine’s foreign ministry sees its AI spokesperson as a historical first. Based on the likeness of Ukrainian singer and influencer Rosalie Nombre, Shi is part of a project by the Ukrainian nonprofit The Game Changers to raise awareness of the war using immersive technology. Nombre, who agreed to be filmed and digitized for the project pro bono, hails from Donetsk, a city now controlled by Russia.
Messages delivered by Victoria Shi will be written by humans, and she is not meant to replace the ministry’s main spokesperson. The agency emphasizes that Oleh Nikolenko, the previous spokesman, has been replaced and the new spokesperson is currently undergoing security clearances. To avoid any potential issues with authenticity, each original video featuring the AI spokesperson will include a QR code that leads to the text version on the ministry’s official website. If such a QR code is absent or leads to a different website, the video is not considered authentic.
Through the implementation of Victoria Shi as an AI spokesperson, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is utilizing technology to enhance its communication efforts. As the country continues to face challenges and conflicts, the ministry sees the AI spokesperson as a way to streamline information dissemination and allow human diplomats to focus on more pressing tasks. The use of digital humans in official capacities is still a new concept, but it represents a step towards incorporating technology into diplomatic strategies.
