Artificial Intelligence is rapidly gaining a stronghold in every aspect of human life. From being an intelligent assistant enhancing productivity at work,
now it seems AI has taken on a bigger role. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced an AI-generated avatar as its digital spokesperson. This is a first in the world of diplomacy.
According to a report in New York-based news outlet Barron’s, the Ministry said that it would ‘for the first time in history’ use a digital spokeswoman named Victoria Shi to read its statements. Reportedly, the statements will be written by humans. Shi is seen dressed in a dark suit and introduces herself as Victoria Shi, a digital person, in a video posted on social media. The AI spokeswoman moves her head and hands as she speaks.
Victoria Shi – the AI spokeswoman
The AI spokeswoman has been created to deliver pre-pared official statements on behalf of the Ministry, and this is done using a visual avatar generated by AI. Interestingly, the AI diplomat’s tone and voice are modelled on Rosalie Nombre, a Ukrainian singer and TV celebrity. Nombre reportedly took part free of charge. The Ministry asserted that Shi and Nombre are two different people and that only the AI figure gives official statements.
Moreover, the Ministry has taken adequate measures to combat issues like deepfake. Each of Victoria’s statements will include a unique QR code linking to the official text version on the Ministry’s website.
About the statements that would be read by Shi, the Foreign Ministry reportedly told AFP that the statements would be written and verified by real people. The Ministry stated that only the visual part is AI-generated. The Ministry has claimed it to be a technological leap that no diplomatic service in the world has yet made.
Shi was created by a team called The Game Changers who had previously made content related to the war in Ukraine. Reportedly, the main objective behind the creation of Shi was to save time and resources for diplomats.
The adoption of AI diplomat is a significant moment as it shows the early adoption of such technologies by the government will inspire more countries to follow suit. Although the AI-generated spokeswoman is just visual for now, the days are not far when AI systems trained on foreign policy will handle far more critical tasks and communication.
(indianexpress.com
