From a Digital State to an “Agentic State”: UA Tech School IT-Enterprise students explore Ukraine’s AI sovereignty strategy with the Ministry of Digital Transformation
The future of artificial intelligence in Ukraine, the development of a national large language model, and the country’s ambition to enter the global top three in AI were the key topics of Module 8 of the UA Tech School IT-Enterprise educational program. The special guest of the session was Olha Osinska, Head of the Sandbox project for AI and blockchain solutions at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
A central focus of the discussion with students was Ukraine’s transition to an “Agentic State,” where AI agents proactively deliver public services, while citizens only initiate requests. Osinska emphasized that Ukraine is already among the leaders in Eastern Europe in terms of AI readiness, ranking 41st globally in the Oxford Insights index. However, a real breakthrough will require ambitious strategic planning.
“Today, it is important not only to create innovations but also to have a space for their safe testing. The Sandbox for AI and blockchain solutions is a place where the state becomes a reliable partner and new technologies become an opportunity for economic growth. For Ukraine, the Sandbox is a chance to establish new rules of the game for AI and blockchain before the market becomes overly regulated and less flexible. We are shaping our own approach that reflects our context, speed, and level of innovation,” noted Olha Osinska.
Special attention was given to Sandbox as a practical tool for business. This experimental environment, created by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, allows IT companies to undergo a free audit of their AI products for compliance with European regulations, including the AI Act and GDPR. The first cohort of 16 companies is already testing their solutions, receiving legal and technical support. The experience gained will serve as the foundation for Ukraine’s future AI law, expected to be developed by the end of 2026.
“I believe it is critically important for businesses aiming to enter international markets to understand whether their products comply with European standards at the development stage. The opportunity to receive such expert evaluation through Sandbox is a real tool not only to build AI solutions but to make them legally ready for the global market. I am grateful for this module and the practical knowledge that can be applied in real work,” said UA Tech School IT-Enterprise student Yevhenii Kapeliushnyi.
Among the strategic initiatives discussed were the development of a national LLM (large language model) in partnership with Kyivstar, designed to deeply understand Ukrainian context, history, and dialects, as well as the creation of an AI Factory in cooperation with Nvidia — a national infrastructure for rapid AI scaling in defense, science, and business.
“In the first practical course of UA Tech School IT-Enterprise, we teach our students not only to use digital tools but also to understand the architecture of state-driven transformation. Knowledge of digital hygiene and AI strategy is the foundation for modern managers building resilient businesses in times of uncertainty,” noted Alla Hurova, Director of UA Tech School IT-Enterprise.
Within the framework of the national strategy of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which aims to position Ukraine among the world’s top three countries in AI development and adoption by 2030, IT-Enterprise continues to strengthen its AI ecosystem. Earlier, during the IT-Enterprise Version 2026 presentation, the company announced the development of 81 new AI solutions. Today, its technologies already help optimize processes for companies such as WOG, Yasno, Epicentr, and the Come Back Alive Foundation, among others.
As previously reported, IT-Enterprise, a national leader in digital transformation for business and the public sector, launched UA Tech School IT-Enterprise — the first practical course focused on the digitalization of the real sector of the economy. Fifty students from across Ukraine are learning to build “smart enterprises,” mastering data-driven management and AI assistants alongside leading experts from the IT industry and public sector, including IT Ukraine Association, Diia.City Union, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. They are also working on their own projects aimed at solving real business challenges.
The Ukrainian product IT company IT-Enterprise has been operating for more than 35 years, supporting the digital transformation of the largest companies in the country’s real sector. Its clients include INTERPIPE, Ferrexpo, Nibulon, Ukrposhta, Ukrnafta and Ukrzaliznytsia, among others. Since the first days of the full-scale war, the IT-Enterprise team has been working together with government authorities to implement critically important projects for Ukraine, including humanitarian aid accounting systems, the restoration of procurement processes and business relocation support. Co-founder and CEO Oleg Shcherbatenko is a consistent advocate of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 approaches and technologies.