Recently, a meeting took place between the team of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and representatives of Google. The parties discussed strengthening cooperation in the preservation and promotion of Ukrainian cultural heritage, as well as ways to jointly counter russian propaganda in the media space.
Rostyslav Karandieiev expressed gratitude to Google for its support and active work in the fields of culture and information policy in Ukraine. This includes projects such as Google Arts & Culture, assistance in the digitalization of cultural heritage, the development of virtual tours in museums and other cultural sites in Ukraine, as well as ongoing collaboration in countering the spread of fake hostile information on the YouTube platform.
“Ukrainian culture is not just museums and cultural sites; it’s the people who create and uphold Ukrainian heritage. We suggest that Google sets an ambitious shared goal: to support talented artists with significant creative potential who dream of becoming creators of digital art. We would be grateful if Google, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, could establish grants for the education of young Ukrainian artists in the field of Digital Art”, said the Acting Minister.
In addition, Rostyslav Karandieiev suggested a partnership and Google’s participation in the digitalization of museum artifacts and the creation of databases for their preservation.
In turn, Annette Kroeber-Riel, Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy in Europe, expressed solidarity with Ukraine and initiatives for further collaboration with the MCIP. This included discussions about launching the second phase of Google Arts & Culture in Washington, participating in the Google representation at the Davos platform to promote Ukrainian culture, and setting up joint stand. The Google representative also expressed readiness to continue cooperation in countering hostile disinformation on the YouTube platform and supporting the development of cultural digitalization in Ukraine, including contemporary art and artist training.
“Regarding digitalization and working with databases, we have a particular proposal – digitalizing books. This idea can be put into practice. Additionally, one of the potential methods for promoting Ukraine as a brand and Ukrainian culture is the use of the YouTube platform, and we are ready to jointly explore and implement this initiative in practice”, she stated.
Patrick Wornking, Vice President of Google for Central and Eastern Europe, expressed readiness to invest efforts in collaboration with creators, including the use of artificial intelligence for joint work. According to him, the company is interested in high-quality content and is keen on Ukrainian creators who are willing to participate in such a process.
“Ukrainian cultural heritage remains a constant target of russian attacks in the war against Ukraine. Therefore, the MCIP spares no effort to protect and preserve it. We are grateful to Google for their comprehensive support, not only in preservation but also in promoting Ukrainian culture worldwide. We are interested in expanding our collaboration in the fields of artificial intelligence and the development of gamified content for a deeper and diverse understanding of Ukrainian culture and education. Immersive exhibitions for promoting our culture globally and continuous training of culture professionals in digital skills and cutting-edge technologies also remain among our ongoing priorities”, emphasized Anastasia Bondar, Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization.
Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister for European Integration, emphasized the importance of continued efforts to counter hostile disinformation and stressed the need to block russian content not only in Ukraine but also throughout the civilized world. He also underscored the importance of developing media literacy among Ukrainians and the necessity of harmonizing Ukrainian legislation in the media and information security sphere with European standards.
