With the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the nation’s already vibrant AI sector with over 7,000 AI engineers, has shifted into innovation and software driven defence solutions.

The war has put technology at the forefront of the battle and made it a critical component of success, whether in acquiring geospatial intelligence and operating unmanned systems or in combating Russian propaganda and the spread of disinformation.

In 2023, Ukrainian Government started introducing policies to advance defence AI creating a new ecosystem with public and private funding. At the same time, foreign AI developers started using Ukraine as a testbed for their solutions, granting it an ultimate stamp of approval.

At this event we will talk about the AI defence ecosystem and its development in Ukraine, the role it plays in Russo-Ukrainian war and the prospects of international expansion of Ukrainian defence start-ups.

Vitaliy Goncharuk is an entrepreneur. He sold his first company, Augmented Pixels, a company focusing on AI-based autonomous navigation and 3D mapping, to Qualcomm in 2022. Currently he runs two new startups dealing with AI. In addition, he was a member of the external innovation advisory board of Ukroboronprom and the first chairman of Ukraine’s AI Committee from 2020-2022. Right now, he is head of the “AI for Defense” working group at Ukraine’s AI Advisory Committee and founder of WiseRegulation.org, a think and do tank focusing on AI regulation. His X/Twitter account is @vactivity.

Anton Tarasyuk is Co-Founder and Expertise Lead at Mantis Analytics, an AI-driven platform that engages in real-time info-space listening and analysis, providing organizations with data for risk management. Mantis Analytics originated in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the company has been helping national security institutions in combating Russian propaganda, disinformation, and hostile informational activities.

Aliona Hlivco is a Managing Director at The Henry Jackson Society and a member of the Advisory Council at Coalition for Global Prosperity.

She is a foreign policy expert with background in global affairs and strategic communications. Aliona is a guest lecturer in various UK and US academic institutions and a regular expert voice on global affairs for international media.

Aliona has had an extensive career in Ukrainian politics, serving as an adviser to the former Prime Minister of Ukraine and holding positions in Chernivtsi Regional Parliament and the Ministry of Infrastructure. She focused on international cooperation, public-private partnerships and decentralisation. She held a public office and was a member of regional parliament in 2015-2018 before she moved to London.

Aliona holds MA in Political Science and MPA from Chernivtsi National University in Ukraine. She is a recipient of the Order of Merit for her service in supporting democracy in Ukraine during the Revolution of Dignity 2013-2014.

This event can only be watched ONLINE. Please click HERE to register.

#HJSEvents