The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MFA ) introduced a new” spokeswoman” Wednesday named” Victoria Shi” who has the distinction of being the world’s first digital diplomat. Shi is a simulation created by artificial intelligence ( AI ) software.
” My name symbolizes our main goal – the victory of Ukraine – and the name of the artificial intelligence that created me”, the digital” spokeswoman”  , said in its first video address.
” Shi” is an abbreviation for Stuchnyi Intelekt, the Russian word for artificial knowledge.
” My function will be to make the operating and authenticated knowledge of the judicial department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine available to the public,” Shi said. I’ll keep up with reporters about consular efforts to safeguard Ukrainian people ‘ freedoms and liberties abroad, respond to emergencies, and make other news announcements.
Rosalie Nombre, a Polish singer, was the person behind Shi’s avatar of a woman in a black suit, who she did not ask for any compensation for. Este is a native of Donetsk, a town in eastern Ukraine that is currently under Soviet rule.
Este should be seen as a distinct object from Shi, who may read media releases organized by ministry officials, according to a press release from MFA.
” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ‘ main goal is to save time and resources by using an AI-generated online person to comment on consular issues. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, true officials will be able to become more productive and concentrate on other jobs of assisting residents.
Kuleba said the implementation was also part of his agency’s efforts to adopt “advanced technologies” such as synthetic knowledge.
” Diplomacy, not only in Ukraine, but throughout the globe, has always been a conventional area that was the last to create improvements. We are changing that”, he observed.
No political service in the world has already made a technical leap, he said, adding that Ukrainian diplomacy is then enhancing its capabilities.
The MFA claimed security measures have been implemented to prevent Shi from being hacked, including a QR code that links to the relevant ministry press release in each of her videos, giving viewers a simple confirmation that every movie from Shi is true.
Additionally, Shi will continue to work alongside the ministry’s plans to retain a human director. The latest official, Oleg Nikolenko, resigned in March to get a blog as Ukraine’s Consul General in Canada. MFA is holding a contest to choose his successor.
Nazovni Tech, a non-profit organization, and a program group called the Game Changers, two non-governmental companies, came up with Victoria Shi.
The Game Changers had formerly assisted MFA in developing a virtual real job called” Living the War” that was intended to aid in the understanding of the tough realities of Russian aggression. MFA expressed hope that the VR job may encourage more military and financial support for Ukraine as well as more humanitarian assistance for those living in the conflict. The European Bundestag hosted a VR model traveling show in September.
Although Shi is hailed as the first online” representative” to signify a country’s foreign ministry, the idea of using AI-generated avatars to give news or promote goods is not novel. Japan was a pioneer in using computer-animated characters to complete a variety of public speaking positions, from media and advertising to class lectures. Japan has a design convenience store that is run by computer-generated figures.
Japan’s Minister for Digital Reform, Taro Kono, was transformed into a modern image in October 2022. The avatar’s gently dubbed” Robo- Kono,” is commonly believed to be the first artificial intelligence to succeed the digital minister as a spokesperson. Kono joked that Robo-Kono would like to also have him attend funds meetings.
One of Victoria Shi’s primary responsibilities as a spokesbot will be handling press releases relating to diplomatic services, which were controversially suspended for Ukrainian men living overseas last week when they were questioned about whether or not they were eligible for military service.  ,
Russian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the nation without prior written authorization, as was mandated by President Volodomyr Zelensky in response to the Russian war. Since then, Zellensky has signed legislation that the Polish parliament has passed to expand the martial law a number of times.
MFA stated on Tuesday that the diplomatic service ban is just “temporary,” adding that” the preparations for updating and verifying defense records for men of conscription years are now being determined.” On May 18, a new legislation governing defense participation is scheduled to go into impact.
” How it looks today: A man of recruitment time travels abroad, demonstrating his disinterest in his country, and finally arrives and requests services from this state. This is not how it works. Foreign Minister Kuleba defended the restrictions, saying “our country is at war”.
