Key Developments:
Ukraine launches the Handwritten to Data Kaggle competition, offering a $7,000 prize pool for teams building AI models
Ukraine names its first national large language model "Siaivo" (Radiance) after a public vote, drawing over 136,000 participants
Ukraine deploys 24/7 voice AI consultants on its government hotline via a partnership with ElevenLabs
Latvia's Tet launches its enterprise AI platform in Ukraine, giving businesses and public-sector clients secure access to multiple LLMs
Google launches a free training program for Ukrainian businesses to build AI agents and move beyond AI pilots into production deployment
A March 2026 Gradus survey finds that 85% of Ukrainians use AI tools, but monetization remains low: 79% use only free versions
GOVERNMENT & DIGITAL SERVICES
Ukraine Launches AI Challenge to Digitize Handwritten State Archives
Ukraine is launching the Handwritten to Data challenge, inviting ML engineers, data scientists, startups, R&D teams, and students to build models that can read handwritten Ukrainian government documents and convert them into structured digital data. The competition will run in two stages: an online Kaggle phase using an open dataset with AWS credits, followed by an offline final in Kyiv on July 4, with the challenge starting on April 16. The total prize pool is $7,000 across three winning teams, and the initiative is being implemented by AI HOUSE in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, and Ukrainian Catholic University, with support from the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Read more
Ukraine’s National LLM to Be Branded “Siaivo”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation said more than 136,000 people took part in a public vote to name the country’s national large language model, with “Siaivo” (“Radiance”) winning 22,538 votes. The ministry is developing the model together with Kyivstar, positioning it for use across government services, business, education, and defense to accelerate data processing, automate workflows, and support new digital products. Beta testing is scheduled for spring 2026, while data collection and model evaluation work are still underway.
Read more
Ministry of Digital Transformation Introduces 24/7 Voice AI Consultants for Public Services
Acting Digital Transformation Minister Oleksandr Bornyakov said Ukraine is deploying voice-based AI consultants for government services in partnership with ElevenLabs. The ministry said its existing chat-based AI assistant already handles more than 90% of user inquiries, and the new voice interface will now operate around the clock on the ministry’s hotline. The rollout is part of the broader Diia.AI agenda and Ukraine’s stated goal of placing AI at the center of public service delivery by 2030.
Read more
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & ENTERPRISE AI
Latvian Telecom Group Tet Launches Enterprise AI Platform in Ukraine
Latvia-based technology company Tet has launched its Tet GPT platform in Ukraine for enterprise and public-sector customers, positioning it as a secure environment for deploying AI with sensitive internal data. The platform provides access to multiple large language models, including OpenAI and Anthropic, while allowing data to remain either within the company’s own IT environment or within Tet Cloud infrastructure in Latvia, with the company stating that such data is not used for model training. Tet says the product is aimed at organizations with more than 50 employees and claims it can save between 15 minutes and two hours of work per day, with some processes optimized by up to 50%.
Read more
Google Opens Free AI Agents Training Program for Ukrainian Businesses
Google has opened applications for a free training program aimed at helping Ukrainian companies move from AI pilots to production deployment. The course focuses on identifying automatable workflows, building AI agents, integrating internal data sources, and improving model performance through online sessions, workshops, and a hands-on Agent Builder Lab. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Diia.Education, the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development, and Diia.Business, underscoring continued public-private coordination around applied AI adoption.
Read more
AI ECOSYSTEM & ADOPTION
Gradus: 85% of Ukrainians Use AI, but Only 6% Pay for It
A March 2026 survey by Gradus found that 85% of Ukrainians use AI tools either regularly or occasionally, with ChatGPT and Gemini remaining the most recognized and widely used platforms. Monetization remains limited: 79% of respondents use only free versions, 6% pay for AI services, and 8% previously paid but later canceled their subscriptions. For businesses, the findings suggest strong consumer familiarity with AI but continued resistance to subscription pricing, while trust remains concentrated in routine use cases rather than financial, personal data, or complaint-related interactions.
Read more
