Ukraine's Ministry of Economy and U.S. tech company Palantir, specializing in big data analytics, in London, signed a partnership agreement on the automation of mine action and the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

"Accelerating humanitarian demining, in particular through cooperation with technology companies such as Palantir, is an opportunity to save lives and speed up the reconstruction of Ukraine," the Ministry of Economy said on Sunday, quoting First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko as saying during the signing of the document.

She recalled that 156,000 square kilometers of land are potentially contaminated, and more than 6 million Ukrainians are at risk.

"Whether we're helping Ukraine's brave defenders stand up to Putin's aggression, supporting the resettlement of their loved ones, or assisting the country's critical demining programme, Palantir stands with Ukraine and its people," Executive Vice President for the UK and Europe, Louis Mosley said in turn.

The agreement contains specific provisions for cooperation, in particular, digitisation of humanitarian demining operations, automation of processes envisaged by the National Mine Action Strategy for the period up to 2033; and expanding digital capabilities to coordinate land release and assessment, regional prioritisation and risk management in mine action.

In addition, it is planned to use an assistant based on the Palantir artificial intelligence platform (AIP) for decision-making in mine action.

The platform will work with large databases formed by structures involved in mine action, ranging from local governments, regional authorities, ministries, and agencies to mine action operators.

The databases will contain both static information, such as an assessment of the economic efficiency of agricultural land, the proximity of contaminated areas to communications, etc., and operational information that will be regularly updated. This includes data from surveys of the territories by the SES, SSTS, and non-governmental operators, the number and condition of equipment, the availability of pyrotechnic units in specific areas, etc.

Thanks to the capabilities of Palantir AIP, the platform will analyse the information and provide recommendations for process optimisation. For example, it will provide advice, taking into account all the data, on how to most effectively clear a particular area - using new demining methods, such as drones, or traditional methods, the Ministry of Economy said. The ultimate goal is to demine territories faster and at lower cost.

The pilot project of the platform was presented at the First International Donor Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine, which took place in Zagreb on 11-12 October 2023. The signed deal marks a new stage in the cooperation between the Ministry of Economy and Palantir, according to the press release.