At the end of April, Oksana Kneychuk – Partner and Head of International Tax Planning and Corporate Structuring at ETERNA LAW – spoke at the Thornhill Academy AI & Law Series event held at The University of Law Moorgate campus in London.
Oksana Kneychuk comments: “Honoured to have contributed to such a timely and insightful discussion on the legal and ethical dimensions of AI. Many thanks to Thornhill Academy for bringing together a brilliant community of professionals and creating space for this important exchange. In Ukraine, where innovation must meet urgent realities, AI is already playing an important role in supporting resilience — from digital infrastructure to legal tech and reconstruction planning. Understanding its implications is vital, and I’m grateful to be part of that conversation”
There are many takeaways from presentations and the discussions among the participants. Here are just a few of them:
- AI is not here to replace professionals, but to augment their expertise and enhance efficiency. However, AI is shifting from mechanical tasks to higher-value analytical work. This shift is fundamentally reshaping the legal services landscape.
- The term ‘technological singularity’ describes a hypothetical point in time at which technological progress becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable consequences for human civilisation. However, developers, companies, regulators and policymakers must still work hand in hand to lead on guardrails, regulation and policies that balances risk mitigation without overly stifling innovation.
- The Central and Eastern Europe region is no longer just a back-office outsourcing hub. It is rapidly becoming one of the most dynamic contributors to global AI development due to a range of factors, such as deep technical expertise, strong education in STEM, fast-growing start-up ecosystems, and governmental AI strategies.
- Ukraine’s IT sector is home to many well-known ‘unicorn’ tech companies including Grammarly, People.ai, and Bitfury. It has shown great adaptability and strength amidst adversity in the past few years.
- Ukraine has become a global case study for how AI can empower national defence, crisis management, and societal resilience. Many of the AI-driven solutions pioneered in Ukraine – from assessing infrastructure damage and prioritising urgent repairs, to matching medical supplies with hospital needs, and locating survivors with thermal drones – will offer valuable models for emergency response worldwide.
