IT Meets Tech, experts talk about the future of AI in Ukraine
IT Meets Tech “Quantum leap: AI redefines possibilities” – the first conference of Lviv IT Cluster outside of Lviv gathered AI technology supporters on February 1 at Unit.City Innovation Park in Kyiv.
The conference featured a panel discussion on the future of artificial intelligence, including CEO and co-founder of Wantent Oleksiy Shaldenko, co-founder of blackbox.ua, expert of the Ukrainian Startup Fund Stanislav Podyachev, CTO of Handy.ai and Chief Architect at PLATMA Dmytro Nechai, and Director of the Digital Economy Directorate at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Yulia Parkhomenko.
On the future of AI
The main trends around artificial intelligence are personalization and regulation, says Oleksiy Shaldenko. The latest high-profile scandal involving explicit images and videos of Taylor Swift generated by artificial intelligence and posted on social network X has demonstrated the extent to which technology is dangerous to privacy.
“From the business point of view, we need to think about ethics and intellectual property in this area” – Oleksiy Shaldenko
Dmytro Nechai emphasized that the goal of the technology is to remove routine from a bunch of processes in various industries. To free people from this.
“The work of any manager is being simplified incredibly. Automation is needed everywhere. Every scientific and technological revolution frees people from work, although then they create a new one for themselves.” – Dmytro Nechai
Artificial intelligence is already helping in the Defense Tech industry, which relies on military innovations. In the future, there are high hopes for him in demining, rebuilding the country, and building strategies.
About AI regulation
The EU plans to regulate AI by 2026. Therefore, if Ukrainian companies and startups are planning to enter the European markets, they should be prepared for the rules that apply there, said Yulia Parkhomenko.
“The role of the state is to regulate and support. We have to create conditions for business development, but we also have to protect users from the dangers of artificial intelligence” – Yulia Parkhomenko
Ukraine plans to gradually introduce the regulation. A white paper for Ukrainian entrepreneurs is currently being developed and will soon be published so that companies understand what to prepare for, what to implement, and how to adapt their business to EU requirements.
Stanislav Podiachev called for techno-optimists. In his opinion, an entrepreneur is someone who has a dream, and he or she should not look back at the degree of freedom that society gives, because we are talking about evolutionary processes. Today, humanity is trying to reach a new level with AI.
“The US usually deals with technology, and Europe with regulation. As long as we are not accepted into the EU, we do not have to copy all their restrictions on AI regulation. And all entrepreneurs trapped in Europe will be able to find a free territory here and develop products. When the government bans a technology, the people lose,” Stanislav Podiachev
“AI regulation is unethical because AI is a tool,” agrees Dmytro Nechai. In his opinion, the more regulations, the more power and opportunities are concentrated in the hands of the state. And it is equally possible to master the technology, only more difficult.
“Let’s give business the opportunity to move forward. Why should we slow down the new tech revolution in Ukraine? Now it is an opportunity to make a leap in Ukraine, and then regulate it” – Dmytro Nechai
He recalled that it was impossible to make Diia in the EU in terms of regulation, but now it is a unique product that is of interest to their markets. It should be the same with artificial intelligence.
