Ukraine revealed its new AI-generated Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
The figure, Victoria Shi, is modeled after Ukrainian singer Rosalie Nombre.
Upon the AI spokeswoman’s unveiling, the computer said, “My name symbolizes our main goal – the victory of Ukraine, and my last name – the artificial intelligence that created me. My work will consist of reporting operational and verified information of the consular department of the MFA of Ukraine to the public.”
The move is historic and marks the first time Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has “presented a digital persona that will officially comment for the media,” the Foreign Ministry wrote on social media.
According to Barron’s, the AI will use statements written by humans.
“It’s only the visual part that the AI helps us to generate,” the foreign ministry’s press service said.
A press release explained that the “consular representative and her real-life prototype are two different persons, and only the digital person Victoria Shi speaks on behalf of the MFA consular service with official comments.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said the use of AI is to save “time and resources.”
“The use of a digital person generated by artificial intelligence for consular commenting is primarily a saving of time and resources of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Real diplomats will be able to be more effective and focus on other tasks of providing assistance to citizens,” Kuleba stated. “The creation of a digital consular representative is part of a broader strategy for the systematic introduction of advanced technologies using artificial intelligence in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Diplomacy, not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world, has always been a conservative field that was the last to introduce innovations. We are changing that. Ukrainian diplomacy is now strengthening its capabilities and making a technological leap, which no diplomatic service in the world has yet made.”