What every government can learn from Ukraine's AI-powered public services

When the world watches a country enduring unprecedented historical trials, the expectation is usually that every effort will be consumed by basic survival — that the machinery of government will be running on fumes just to hold itself together.

In Ukraine, we are challenging that expectation by, in the midst of the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, not merely keeping our institutions afloat, but fundamentally reimagining what they are — making them more agile and more responsive to people's actual lives.

The urgency to act fast and effectively has swept away the old bureaucracy.

In its place, Ukraine has become a world-class GovTech laboratory. We are now moving beyond the traditional concept of a digital state, pioneering a new model we call the Agentic State — a proactive, AI-powered government.

This transformation rests on three foundational pillars: a revolution in public services, the active development of human capital, and adaptive regulation.

First, we are shifting from reactive bureaucracy to proactive anticipation of citizens' needs.

The traditional digital state assumes that a citizen will open an app and submit a request. Through the Diia ecosystem (Ukraine's official e-governance mobile app and web portal), Ukrainians bypass that barrier entirely.

To give you a sense of the scale: we currently have over 24 million mobile app users and more than 7 million web portal users — that is more than 70% of all Ukrainian citizens over the age of 14.

With that massive audience, we have been setting world records: Ukraine became the first country to give digital passports the same legal standing as physical ones, reduced business registration to two seconds, and introduced the world's first fully legal online marriage via video call. This technological breakthrough became a lifeline for military personnel serving on the front lines.

We are now taking the next step: proactivity. When a child is born, for instance, algorithms help assemble a package of available options for new parents, showing them everything from social payments to other benefits.

At the core of this process is Diia.AI — the world's first national AI assistant delivering government services. On the Diia web portal, the AI assistant generates income certificates. In the app, users can chat with an AI agent to obtain residence certificates for adults or children and pay traffic fines in minutes.

In its first 24 hours, Diia.AI was tested by 100,000 users; within a week, that number had surpassed one million. Our goal is to make accessing public services accessible to everyone and done in seconds.

That is why voice functionality is coming soon to Diia.AI on the Diia portal — this is, fundamentally, a question of inclusion. We are also integrating a voice AI assistant into the Ministry of Digital Transformation's hotline.

Second, we are actively using AI to develop human capital. This innovative momentum extends well beyond administrative services. Within the Mriia educational ecosystem, neural networks help teachers generate tests, saving thousands of hours of routine work, a solution currently being piloted successfully in 150 schools.

The same logic applies to the economy, on the Diia.Business portal, intelligent algorithms act as free consulting agencies: they help entrepreneurs identify grants, write business plans, and analyze export markets. The state is transforming from a passive observer into an intelligent partner.

Third, we are proving that rapid innovation can be deployed responsibly, ethically, and with full respect for human rights.

The breakneck pace of technological development demands new approaches to safety. We have chosen a bottom-up, adaptive approach: we prepare companies for future requirements first, and enact legislation only then.

This philosophy underpins our White Paper on AI Regulation in Ukraine and enables businesses to innovate while respecting human rights.

The government has also launched a regulatory sandbox for AI and blockchain solutions. In this environment, companies test products under expert supervision, receiving audits for bias and privacy protection before they ever reach the market.

We help businesses build safe solutions from the ground up. This is precisely why leading Ukrainian IT companies have already united to form the country's first self-regulatory organization for the ethical use of AI,  including such market leaders as Grammarly, MacPaw, LetsData, DroneUA, WINSTARS.AI, Gametree.me, YouScan.io, EVE.calls, Valtech, LUN, Yieldy, SoftServe, Uklon, and Preply.

Ukraine's experience demonstrates that innovation is synonymous with resilience and growth, and that it doesn't require a Silicon Valley. To give these innovations a solid economic foundation, we created Diia.City — a unique legal and tax environment for IT businesses.

Today, Diia.City brings together more than 4,300 resident companies, helping the technology sector grow, attract investment, and build cutting-edge products even in wartime conditions.

We are building a digital infrastructure that withstands daily cyberattacks and blackouts while remaining agile enough to care for every individual citizen.

By transforming the state into an invisible but reliable AI partner, Ukraine is creating a ready-made blueprint for the world, showing what next-generation democracy actually looks like.

Editor's note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.