Kozminski Techblog

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General development of AI in Ukraine

As we all know, AI development and usage around the world is phenomenal. Unfortunately, there is not much information on general development of this technology in Ukraine. Though, it does have an AI committee and information on the general ideas and predictions. But, for now, the only thing that can be said, is that Ukraine works in this field and it goes pretty well.

AI usage in the war against Russia

Now, here we have plenty of information on how Ukraine incorporates AI in the battlefield. Of course, the majority of this technology is given by Ukrainian partners, USA and EU in general. However, Ukraine itself also makes small but implementations in this area. So, how exactly does Ukraine use this technology? Well, AI is mostly used to gather information and to manipulate drones. Of course it’s not used as the main brain or something that massive, but still, the input is fairly great. AI works as some type of advisor, who helps to make all sorts of decisions, though decisions are still made by people. If talking more deeply, AI helps to find positions of the enemies, their storehouses, etc. It helps drones to hit more precisely. It also helps to hack Russian calls and signals, which also massively helps to plan the attacks and future routes.

Personal opinion

To my mind, AI is greatly developed in Ukraine, even though in only the field of war and not by Ukraine itself. Despite this, I believe that Ukraine has all possibilities to develop and incorporate AI in all means possible and it certainly can do it by itself. The only thing that stands in the way, is obviously war, which is the number one priority. In conclusion, Ukraine needs to win this war and also some time to regenerate from it and then it will thrive enormously.

Sources

1. https://www.cnas.org/publications/commentary/roles-and-implications-of-ai-in-the-russian-ukrainian-conflict
2. https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2023/3/24/ukraine-a-living-lab-for-ai-warfare
3. https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/dawn-of-the-drone-wars-how-ukraine-conflict-has-set-stage-for-new-military-capabilities-12874999

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History of Ukrainian Economy

First of all, Ukraine has an emerging low-middle income, mixed economy, which has a really long way to go. Ukrainian economy had e really hard start, as it was really neglected by Russia in times of Soviet Union. Even though Ukraine played a huge role in economy of the whole Union, Russia put a massive pressure on Ukraine in all means. So, when Ukraine became independent, it was really hard to stabilize their economy. In addition, it was 1990s, so it basically was impossible. In 2000s, Ukraine somehow managed to create a stable economy, but it didn’t last long, unfortunately. In 2013-2014, when the events of Majdan took place and president Viktor Janukovych fled to Russia, Ukraine again was in the state of crisis. On top of this, Russian troops invaded Eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Despite all of that, Ukraine still managed to get its economy under control, but then 24th February 2022 happened. Russia started a straightforward invasion and again Ukraine was in chaos. As for now, Ukraine returned to the previous state, excluding the fact of war against Russia. But, as I said in the beginning, Ukraine still has a long way to go and much to improve.

Statistics on Economy of Ukraine

Here I have some numbers, according Ukrainian modern economy. So, the nominal GDP this year in Ukraine is $173 billion and the PPP GDP is $475 billion. These numbers make Ukraine 60th in the ranking of nominal GDP and 46th in PPP accordingly. The GDP also grew by 2% this year. Now, the nominal GDP per capita is $5200 and $14,300 in PPP, ranking Ukraine 114th and 107th. Inflation this year is enormous and is 17.7%. If we talk about Ukraine’s export and import partners they’re practically the same, and include such countries, as China, USA, Poland, Germany, Turkey and other western and southern countries. Now, I would like to show you some tables connected to statistics of economy of Ukraine.

The GDP of Ukraine

Ukraine’s GDP per capita

Ukraine’s population from 1950

The average monthly salary in Ukraine in November 2021

Personal Opinion

Ukraine has lots of problems, and one of the most important one, except for war, is corruption. Ukraine must win the war and fight the corruption in order to make some visible progress in advancing of its economy. But the key component in this process is the desire of Ukrainians to become better and to improve their country in general. Only then Ukraine will truly thrive in all means possible.

Sources

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ukraine
2. https://carnegieendowment.org/2012/03/09/underachiever-ukraine-s-economy-since-1991-pub-47451

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Global corruption

Corruption is, without any words, one of the biggest villains in the economy world. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it’s already 21st century, corruption still has a great impact on our world. Different studies show, that regions with developed economies, such as North America, Western Europe and Australia, have a really low rate of corruption. On the other hand, regions with emerging economy, South America, Eastern Europe and Asia, have a strikingly high level of this economic disaster. Studies also show that the average income in countries with a high level of corruption is about a third of that of countries with a low level of corruption. It is also stated that the infant mortality rate in such countries is about three times higher and the literacy rate is 25% lower. There are some key factors, which tend to show up in high-corruption-level countries. They include:high prices for low quality; inefficiently allocated resources; uneven distribution of wealth; low stimulus for innovation; shadow economy; low foreign investment and trade; poor education and healthcare.

Corruption in Ukraine in general and during the war

Ukraine, unfortunately, is one of the most corrupted countries in the world. Since the day, when Ukraine became independent, it went through a lot of good changes, but corruption remained and even grew. Frankly speaking, one of the reasons of war in Ukraine is corruption. The government was led by money and couldn’t make reasonable decisions. Talking about war, even though Ukraine is on the open battlefield and government makes lots of changes to improve the country overall and make it real for Ukraine to enter the EU, corruption refuses to vanish. There are still plenty of people in the government, who talk a lot about how we need to be honest and work for the good of our motherland but at the same time they take bribes and steal not only the money, which is given by other countries to help us win, they also have the audacity to steal humanitarian help and goods for refugees and soldiers. Ukraine has to become really serious about removing corruption if it wants to make some reasonable changes.

Personal opinion

From my point of view, world should pay more attention to corruption and how to get rid of it as soon as possible. As you see, I am really prone to write about Ukraine, as it is my homeland. It became really interesting for me to read about Ukraine’s problems and to think about the ways of solving them. Ukraine needs to kick out all corrupted pigs and really become a free country in all meanings possible.

Sources

1. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/012215/how-corruption-affects-emerging-economies.asp
2. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021

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The main issue

The main reason, why world economy is worried about climate change, is that if we won’t do anything about it, then global temperatures will up to 3.2 degrees Celsius, then worldwide economy will lose as much as 18% of GDP(gross domestic product).

Disruption in global trade

In today’s world, world economy is already under a great pressure, because first we had Coronavirus and now we have war in Ukraine and rapid changes in climate. Global trade, obviously, suffers a lot because of climate change, as sea level rise, various floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, they all bring a lot of damage to infrustructure that is vital for transportation. The Panama Canal, which handles around 6% of global maritime commerce, has had to impose restrictions on the largest ships passing through because of falling water levels in nearby lakes. Agriculture, manufacturing and tourism are said to suffer the most, as they are the most dependent on climate.

EU measures against climate change

Nowadays, EU is the most active part of the world in the field of climate change reduction. Climate change is already affecting Europe in various forms, depending on the region. It can lead to biodiversity loss, forest fires, decreasing crop yields and higher temperatures. It can also affect people’s health. The EU was the world’s fourth biggest greenhouse gases emitter after China, the US and India in 2019. The EU’s share in the world’s greenhouse gas emissions fell from 15.2% in 1990 to 7.3% in 2019. The EU is a key player in UN climate change talks and has signed the Paris agreement. All EU countries are also signatories, but they coordinate their positions and set common emission reduction goals at the EU level. Under the Paris agreement, the EU committed in 2015 to cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. In 2021, the target was changed to at least 55% reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. In 2008, the EU set the target to cut emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels by 2020. Emissions had dropped 24% by 2019 and to 31% by 2020, due partly to the Covid-19 pandemic. New targets were set in 2021. In 2021, the EU made climate neutrality, the goal of zero net emissions by 2050, legally binding in the EU. It set an interim target of 55% emission reduction by 2030. This goal of zero net emissions is enshrined in the climate law. The European Green deal is the roadmap for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050. The concrete legislation that will allow Europe to reach the Green Deal targets is laid down in the Fit for 55 package that the Commission presented in July 2021. It will include the revision of existing legislation on emissions reduction and energy, which are explained further below. The EU is also working to achieve a circular economy by 2050,  create a sustainable food system and protect biodiversity and pollinators. In order to finance the Green Deal, the European Commission presented in January 2020 the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, which aims to attract at least €1 trillion of public and private investment over the next decade. Under the investment plan, the Just Transition Fund is designed to support regions and communities that are most affected by a green transition, for instance regions that are heavily dependent on coal.

Personal opinion

To my thinking, there is no way that world economy will be unphased, as it has already suffered greatly. However, it still has a chance, and so do we, to avoid the further disasters and come back to pretty much a steady climate. Moreover, the world is already working for it, but it’s not enough. All parts of the world, all of us should work hard together towards one ultimate goal of saving our planet. This, to my mind, should be the most important task for us, as if we achieve that, everything else will get back to normal.

Sources

1. https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/how-does-climate-change-impact-on-international-trade/
2. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/impact-climate-change-global-gdp/
3. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20180703STO07129/eu-measures-against-climate-change?&at_campaign=20234-Green&at_medium=Google_Ads&at_platform=Search&at_creation=RSA&at_goal=TR_G&at_audience=consequences%20of%20climate%20change&at_topic=Climate_Change&at_location=PO&gclid=CjwKCAjwysipBhBXEiwApJOcu_iWrECU4XBymB6lY-HLdNZOtl0GIsHV-lLsVA3x-4Q3JKw8G7qNhxoCc6sQAvD_BwE
4. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-climate-impacts-world-trillion.html