Best AI Services Created by Ukrainian Developers

About 10 years ago, there was a popular joke on the internet that many programs, like Photoshop, lacked a button labeled "Make it beautiful" that would magically enhance any content. The advancement of neural networks and artificial intelligence has turned this joke into reality. Many companies, including several from Ukraine, utilize AI to improve English communication and writing skills. Among dozens of companies, we have selected seven of the most interesting and likely useful ones for the general public.

Grammarly

One of the most well-known services created by Ukrainians, Grammarly uses AI to enhance English communication and writing skills. Founded in 2007 by three Ukrainians—Dmytro Lider, Max Lytvyn, and Oleksii Shevchenko—Grammarly has evolved from a startup to a billion-dollar company, with over 300 million daily active users. Beyond its core capabilities for working with text, Grammarly offers auxiliary features such as plagiarism detection, AI-assisted text writing, essay checking, and more.

Elai

Elai.io focuses on creating video and audio content without requiring professional skills or tools. This service is particularly useful for content creators, including bloggers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Elai allows users to generate videos from text, clone their voice for text narration, create animated avatars, and more. Notably, all functions are available in over 75 languages. Launched in 2021 by IT professionals Vitalii Romanchenko and Oleksandr Uspenskyi, Elai quickly became profitable, attracting leading international companies as clients.

Let's Enhance

Many of us have photos in our home archives from the times when a camera on a mobile device was still exotic. If you've ever thought that such shots are perceived almost like archaic black-and-white lithographs from a bygone era, it's time to use the Let's Enhance service. A bit of magic and artificial intelligence work, and images from the camera of an ancient Nokia phone now shine on the 4K screen with new colors. The service uses neural networks to improve image quality. In addition to increasing resolution, clarity, and detailing, there are accompanying tools such as background removal. The service also offers image generation features based on text requests, which has been gaining increasing popularity lately. 

Photo: Let's Enhance servise interface, Source: WebScreen

Reface

Reface, another "Made in Ukraine" service, utilizes generative capabilities of neural networks. It simplifies the process of "photoshopping" faces onto celebrity photos or making similar edits with friends or acquaintances. Reface started as a way to maximize the ease of this process, growing into a successful company that attracted over $5.5 million in investments. The service is available both as a web version and mobile apps for iOS and Android, earning high rankings for an extended period. Reface's functional capabilities include transforming static images into animated ones, changing photo styles, creating animated avatars for social media, and more. The company even developed a separate app for creating internet memes, catering to humor enthusiasts.

Preply

Preply is a platform that caters to those serious about learning foreign languages. Launched in 2012, the project is considered one of the most successful in online education technology. The pandemic and increased investments have elevated the company's value to $200 million. Preply assists users in finding tutors based on preferences and knowledge levels, enabling online learning. Currently offering lessons in over 45 languages, including exotic ones like Indonesian, Preply has united over 32,000 tutors from around the world with over a million students. To enhance material retention, Preply incorporates elements of machine learning. Interaction with Preply is flexible and convenient, accessible through both the web version and mobile devices by downloading the iOS or Android app.

ZEELY

ZEELY is a young Ukrainian startup founded in 2021, focusing on assisting small businesses and individual entrepreneurs offering goods and services online. ZEELY's final product is a universal online web constructor based on generative AI functions. It allows users to independently create a fully functional online store for selling and presenting products on the internet. ZEELY's application streamlines the process without requiring third-party experts, web design knowledge, or promotion skills—all achieved through a single mobile app. Currently, ZEELY has over 5,000 active users, and in 2023, the startup secured over a million dollars in investments.

Respeecher

Ukrainian startup Respeecher works on transforming sound using AI. The service is primarily useful for content creators, computer game developers, and bloggers. With Respeecher's voice cloning technology, one person can speak using another person's voice. The technology has found application in Hollywood, modeling the voices of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in "The Mandalorian" series. It was also used in the production of the iconic video game "God of War." Respeecher's applications extend beyond entertainment; the technology has been used to assist patients with voice problems. By 2022, Respeecher attracted approximately $3 million in investments, reaching a total company valuation of over $10 million.