Veon's Ukrainian subsidiary Kyivstar has this week announced the launch of a generative AI lab in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

According to the company, the purpose of the launch is to support Ukrainian enterprises in introducing AI technologies, as part of an effort to boost the country's long-term economic recovery, amid its war with Russia.

Veon said the new lab will deliver AI services, such as text and visual content generation, augmented intelligence-based chatbots, virtual assistants, and more.

"These tools will help to enhance operational efficiencies for Ukrainian businesses, create competitive advantages, and support long-term growth," the company noted in its announcement.

Veon's intention to drive AI comes after the company pledged in June to increase its investment in Kyivstar to $1 billion, over a five-year period from 2023 to 2027.

“Generative AI has the potential to be a transformative force for the efficiency and competitiveness of Ukraine’s enterprises. It will also play a pivotal role in driving economic growth as part of Ukraine’s long-term recovery,” said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar.

“Our successful partnership with AWS has bolstered our expertise in data processing and analysis. The launch of this generative AI lab represents the next step in delivering innovative augmented intelligence and cloud services to our business customers.”

The announcement comes after a ruling that a district court in Ukraine had ruled to unfreeze Veon's corporate rights in Kyivstar.

All restrictions imposed on Kyivstar in October of last year, have now been fully removed.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyivstar has built 1,895 new LTE base stations and upgraded about 13,200 existing base stations to 4G.

The telco has added more than 4,100 residential areas to 4G coverage, noting that 95 percent of the population of territories controlled by Ukraine have access to 4G services on Kyivstar's network.

By the end of 2026, Kyivstar wants to cover 98 percent of the population with 4G coverage.

Last year, Kyivstar signed a partnership with Japan's Rakuten Symphony. The agreement will see Rakuten Symphony assist with the reconstruction of its infrastructure in Ukraine.