AI4Ukraine is a Ukrainian initiative that brings together experts, public institutions, and civil society to explore how ethical artificial intelligence can support Ukraine’s post-war recovery and digital transformation on its path to the European Union. The initiative is financially supported by the Ukraine National Platform through the regranting to National Platforms of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
This month, we spoke with Vasyl Oryshchuk, CEO of AI-Experiment LLC, AI and digital skills trainer, research fellow at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and PhD in Public Administration, about how AI, ethics, and governance can be combined to build inclusive and transparent development.
What is AI4Ukraine and how is the initiative being implemented?
Vasyl Oryshchuk: “AI4Ukraine is an interdisciplinary initiative led by the Institute for Public Strategies in partnership with the Kyiv Regional Centre of Professional Development and AI-Experiment LLC.
The initiative is implemented within the framework of Working Group 4 “Contacts between People” of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, with the support of the European Union.
At the very launch of the project, on July 17, 2025, we held our first roundtable discussion: “Ethical AI in Public Administration: European Standards and Ukrainian Realities.” The event gathered representatives of government agencies, digital advisors, academics, and AI ethics experts, and gave a strong impetus for the work ahead.”
How did the idea for this initiative emerge?
Vasyl Oryshchuk: “The idea grew out of the need to ensure that Ukraine’s digital recovery proceeds in line with European values – integrity, fairness, and transparency. After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, artificial intelligence technologies started to be rapidly adopted across public services, education, security, and media.
Yet ethical issues – from data protection to algorithmic transparency – often remained overlooked. We noticed a growing gap between the pace of technological implementation and the absence of ethical oversight.
That’s why we decided to bring together the best available practices from European institutions such as the EU and the Council of Europe and initiate a national dialogue with Ukrainian experts, educators, and civil servants on what ethical AI should look like in our context. This is how AI4Ukraine was born — as a response to both an opportunity and a challenge.”
What are your goals and what do you hope to achieve?
Vasyl Oryshchuk: “Our main goal is to support Ukraine in shaping its own approach to ethical AI based on trust, inclusion, and transparency. We aim not only to inform regulation but to strengthen the capacity of professionals, institutions, and communities.
Ethical AI is, above all, about people. In a country recovering from war, technologies should unite – not exclude. We believe that embedding ethical principles in the use of AI today will help Ukraine become a strong, democratic, and digitally inclusive part of the European community.
In October 2025, we plan to present a policy brief and analytical report, along with a final public event. At the same time, we seek to build long-term cooperation between government, experts, and European partners.”
How can people get involved?
Vasyl Oryshchuk: “We invite experts, educators, civil servants, and community members to participate in our online survey (in Ukrainian): https://forms.gle/uBLZeei6VyfMfoBV6
All information, resources, and updates are published on our website and on our partner’s platform.”
Additional resources
You can visit the website of AI4Ukraine here. AI4Ukraine is driven by a cross-sectoral team of professionals including:
- Ms Alla Kozhyna – Project Lead, Initiative Coordinator, Head of the NGO “Institute for Public Strategies,” Doctor of Public Administration, Professor, with over 20 years of experience in the civic and academic sectors.
- Ms Svitlana Markina – Expert in Computer Science, Certified Cyber Hygiene Trainer, Representative of the Kyiv Regional Centre of Professional Development.
- Mr Vasyl Oryshchuk – CEO of AI-Experiment LLC, AI and Digital Skills Trainer, Research Fellow at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, PhD in Public Administration.
This project benefits from support through the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Re-granting Scheme (FSTP) to Members via its Ukrainian National Platform. It is funded by the European Union as part of its support to civil society in the region.
Within its Re-granting Scheme, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) supports projects of its members that contribute to achieving the mission and objectives of the Forum. Grants are available for CSOs from the Eastern Partnership and EU countries. Key areas of support are democracy and human rights, economic integration, environment and energy, contacts between people, social and labour policies. Find out more on our re-granting activities here.
