May 07, 2024 15:00:00

Ukraine announces AI-generated Foreign Ministry spokesperson 'Victoria See' and releases introductory video that speaks like a real person

On May 1, 2024 local time,

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced an AI spokesperson, 'Victoria Sy,' who will issue official statements to the media on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim is to save human diplomats' time by using an AI-generated digital person for reporting.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has appointed a digital person to inform on consular issues | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
https://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/mzs-ukrayini-priznachilo-cifrovu-osobu-dlya-informuvannya-shchodo-konsulskih-pitan

Ukraine unveils AI-generated foreign ministry spokesperson | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/03/ukraine-ai-foreign-ministry-spokesperson

You can see the AI spokesperson released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually speaking in the official video below.

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Speaking with a wall with the Ukrainian flag hanging behind it is an AI spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The way he speaks is quite natural, and many people would not feel strange if they had not been informed in advance that it was an AI-generated digital person.

The name 'Віктория Ші' (Victoria Sea) is a combination of 'Віктория' (Ukrainian for 'victory') and 'Ші' (short for 'Штучний интелект', Ukrainian for 'artificial intelligence (AI)').

The AI spokesperson's appearance was based on

Rosalie Nombre , a real Ukrainian singer and popular romantic reality TV personality. Nombre agreed to participate in the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs project free of charge and to use herself as a prototype to create the AI spokesperson. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that the AI spokesperson and Nombre are two separate personalities, and that only the AI spokesperson, a digital person, will comment on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The AI spokesperson's statements will not be generated by an AI, but will be written and verified by real human personnel. To prevent fakes, all videos featuring the AI spokesperson will be accompanied by a QR code linking to the official statement page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

'The use of AI-generated digital persons for consular comments is primarily aimed at saving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' time and resources, allowing real diplomats to focus more effectively on other tasks to help citizens,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. 'Diplomacy has always been a conservative sphere, not only in Ukraine but around the world, and the last to innovate. We are trying to change this,' he added.