MFA Ukraine presents “digital spokesperson” for consular affairs

That’s according to press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrinform reports.

The representative shall be referred to as Viktoria Shi. It should be noted that Shi is a Ukrainian abbreviation for artificial intelligence (Shtuchnyi Intelekt). The avatar was created off of a real person, the Ukrainian singer and influencer Rosalie Nombre, who agreed to participate in the MFA project pro bono, serving as a prototype for the spokesperson.

The representative for consular issues and her real prototype are two different persons, and only the digital person shall Viktoria Shi issue official comments on behalf of the MFA consular service, the statement stresses.

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"My first name symbizes our main goal, victory of Ukraine, and my last name –artificial intelligence that created me. My work will be about reporting to the public the latest and verified information from the consular department of the MFA of Ukraine. I will inform journalists about the work of consuls in protecting the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens abroad, responding to incidents or emergency situations, and other news," Viktoria Shi said in an introduction address.

Viktoria Shi's comments will appear on the official platforms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its website and across social media, and will also be relayed to journalists by the MFA press service.

"Using an AI-generated digital person for commenting on consular issues is primarily about saving time and resources of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Real diplomats will be able to be more effective and focus on other tasks of assisting citizens," said Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

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The minister emphasized that the active use of artificial intelligence in MFA’s work is not a whim, but a requirement of wartime, because in order to achieve the results required for the country, it is necessary to speed up all processes and be one step ahead.

"The creation of a digital consular representative is part of a broader strategy for the systematic introduction of advanced technogy 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 technogical leap, which no diplomatic service in the world has yet made," Kuleba added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also provided several layers of protection for Viktoria Shi against digital meddling. Each original video invving the consular representative has a QR code that leads to a text version of the same comment on the official page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If there is no such QR code or if a user goes to any other site, the video shall not be considered authentic.

In addition, the consular representative is not a substitute for the actual spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the end of eg Nikenko's term in that position, the Ministry has already held a competition to fill the vacant spot. Its winner has already been determined and is undergoing the required vetting.

The AI project was implemented by The Game Changers NGO team with the assistance of the NGO Nazovni Tech. Previously, thanks to partnership with The Game Changers, the MFA created a successful VR project “Living the War”, which immerses pele anywhere around the world in the reality of Russian aggression against Ukraine and helps increase foreign aid.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed gratitude to partners from The Game Changers and Nazovni Tech for their joint work on improving the effectiveness of Ukrainian diplomacy.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on March 8, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, eg Nikenko, said he was leaving his post. Later it became known that he was appointment to the post of Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto (Canada).

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs