Artificial Intelligence and Social Rights — The Aspen Institute Kyiv Held a Seminar for the National Mediation and Conciliation Service

On July 24–25, 2025, in Kyiv, the Aspen Institute Kyiv held a seminar titled “Artificial Intelligence and Social Rights: Challenges and Opportunities.” The event was organized in partnership with the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the Social Dimension in Ukraine.” This was the third in a series of seminars explicitly developed for the National Mediation and Conciliation Service (NMCS). The event was initiated by Dmytro Kukhniuk, Head of the Service and a graduate of the “Justice, Law, and Society” seminar — a way for Mr. Dmytro to scale the impact of his Aspen experience.

Dmytro Kukhniuk also proposed the seminar topic, highlighting the need to combine the service’s strategic development with practical skills in the context of digital transformation.

Olena Fomina, Policy Program Director at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, emphasized the importance of discussing the societal dimensions of technology, the role of artificial intelligence in governance, and the risks associated with its use. She also noted that the Aspen Institute has worked on this topic for several years, including through the “Cybersecurity Dialogue” program.

Iryna Ostapa, Head of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the Social Dimension in Ukraine,” underscored the importance of strengthening the institutional capacity of the NMCS — an agency that plays a key role in preventing and resolving collective labour disputes, developing social dialogue, and updating legislation on collective labour rights.

At the start of the seminar, Alla Fedorova, member of the European Committee of Social Rights and national consultant to the Council of Europe, directed participants’ attention to the concept of artificial intelligence and social rights in the context of the European Social Charter.

Key topics discussed during the seminar included:

• What artificial intelligence is and its key characteristics
• How AI impacts the realization of social rights
• Where the boundary lies between automation and the human factor
• How to preserve human primacy amid technological progress
• Philosophical and practical approaches to implementing AI
• The impact of new technologies on labour relations and the labour market as a whole
• Risks and potential for using AI in the work of the NMCS
• Finding a balance between innovation and human rights

Participants engaged in dialogue guided by a specially prepared textbook developed for the seminar. This textbook helped frame the conversation, allowing each participant to share thoughts and experiences related to the use of AI. A key component of the seminar was a set of practical exercises designed to strengthen participants’ AI-related skills.

Rasim Babanly, First Deputy Head of the Supreme Court Administration, and Mykola Karchevskyi, Professor of Law and Public Administration at King Danylo University, moderated the seminar.

The seminar was conducted with the support of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the Social Dimension in Ukraine,” which aims to ensure that broad segments of the population and vulnerable groups — including those affected by the war — receive targeted social protection and support.