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Ukraine joins with Palantir to apply AI for demining efforts

Ukraine’s government joins with technology company Palantir to use artificial intelligence tools for coordinating and accelerating critical humanitarian demining efforts.

byYuri Zoria

04/03/2024

2 minute read

Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Economy (left), and Louis Mosley, executive vice president for UK and Europe at Palantir (right), signing an agreement. London, 3 March 2024. Photo: Ukraine’s Economy Ministry

Ukraine joins with Palantir to apply AI for demining efforts

Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy agrees with the American big data analytics company Palantir to leverage artificial intelligence tools for expediting and coordinating critical humanitarian demining processes to accelerate national rebuilding efforts following the enduring Russian invasion, the Ministry reported on 3 March. The partnership agreement was signed between Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy and Palantir executives during a visit to the UK, the Ministry says.

Last September, Ukraine’s PM Denys Schmyhal said approximately 174,000 square kilometers in Ukraine were potentially mined, a vast area that could take decades to clear. Ukraine’s mine-contaminated area is significantly larger than Greece and nearly twice the size of Hungary.

The collaboration will leverage Palantir’s AI platform to digitize, coordinate, and accelerate demining operations. Key goals include clearing land faster and at lower costs. The AI assistant will integrate and analyze demining data to provide recommendations for process improvements. This encompasses prioritizing regions, adopting new methods like drones, and managing risk.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko sees the partnership as an “opportunity to save lives and start rebuilding faster” after Russia’s invasion, which has left over 150,000 square kilometers potentially contaminated. Palantir’s Louis Mosley emphasized that the agreement will “help strengthen Ukraine’s economy.”

The pilot project showcasing the AI optimization for demining was already presented at an international donor conference last October in Zagreb. The newly signed deal represents the next phase in Ukraine’s widening collaboration with Palantir.

Rapid and thorough humanitarian demining is described as the “zero stage” of Ukraine’s recovery by officials. With over 6 million Ukrainians vulnerable to mine contamination, the Palantir AI tools could effectively coordinate efforts by regional governments, NGOs, and demining operators working tirelessly to rehabilitate Ukrainian land.

The databases will contain both static and operational information. Static data will evaluate the economic efficiency of agricultural land and the proximity of contaminated areas to communications. Operational information will be regularly updated.

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