AI-DUCATION
Whether embraced or not, AI has inevitably found its way into universities around the world. As professors try to adapt, AI-related scandals are increasingly making headlines.
Cheating with AI: Italian University makes 350 students retake the exam
This shift challenges journalism programs, where critical thinking is key.
Students must now learn to navigate AI tools while maintaining analytical skills and journalistic integrity.
Two students shared their thoughts on the matter.
Alina Ludwig and Florian Malcher are journalism students at the FH der WKW in Vienna, Austria. Both of them got accustomed to using AI in their journalistic.
Malcher is also the CEO of the Austrian Youth Press and publisher of the online magazine Frisch.
He remembers being educated about AI in university , but the topic remains controversial to many professors.
Malcher himself is eagered to learn more about the potential and risks of AI. Therefore, he is looking for guidance from the university.
But how are media schools around the globe coping with AI?
We talked with four teachers from four different countries.
Father Andriy Shestak is Director of the School of Journalism and Communications at UCU, Deputy Dean for Communications at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
He explained his universities guidelines on AI.
When we conducted our interviews, it became clear that Georgia is not yet very far in the process when it comes to AI.
Although the majority of students are familiar with programs like ChatGPT and also use it, there are no specific rules or restrictions in place.
However, that is not the case at Danish School of Media and Journalism. They developed a guideline with 10 points on how AI can and should be used in educational situations.
AI is evolving fast. So professors have to make sure they are informed and up to date.
Gerald Janous is lecturer at the FH der WKW in Vienna. He told us how he stays educated on the topic.
Margarita (Maka) Antidze on the other hand is editor in chief at the media outlet "Project 64" and lecture at Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management,Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA).
She believes that some journalistic skills can't be replaced with AI and has adapted her teaching methods therefore.
In Denmark, students are often introduced to small exercises that give them the opportunity to experiment with AI - in order to show, how important it is to prompt correctly.
They had to insert one of their own written articles into Copilot and generate headline ideas by prompting in different ways
Furthermore, the students must always mention in their reflection report if AI has been used.
All our interviewees were aware that their students used AI. But there was one question no one could answer us:
How will the use of AI impact the skill set of journalism students and consequently the future of journalism?
Andreas Leer Sharnberg, a Danish jouranlist and lecturer, and Margarita (Maka) Antidze nevertheless tried to give us an outlook.
To get an idea of how AI can impact media schools and therefore the future of journalism, we spoke with Patrick Swanson.
Swanson is an Austrian journalist and technologist based in San Francisco, USA. He co-founded the AI consulting lab "Verso".
Swanson helps newsrooms, startups and non-profits worldwide to step into the AI age and reimagine media.
The first time he used AI, he knew it would transform journalism from the ground up.
Swanson is aware of the dangers AI poses and sees its significant potential for journalism.
Using AI properly could help address key challenges, such as rebuilding public trust and solving financial struggles in the industry.
The media industry has been struggling with a trust crisis for years due to issues like misinformation, bias, sensationalism and corporate influence.
For example, trust in the U.S. media has reached at trend low as Gallup has shown.
Similar trends can be observed in Europe as well.
A new survey has questioned the quality and impartiality of journalism in Europe.
According to a recent survey for the "Assises du Journalisme de Tours", every second respondent believed, that the quality of journalism has worsened in recent years.
In addition, public trust in journalists varies significantly around Europe, according to data compiled by Statista.
However, journalism is still viewed as important, with the majority of people actively seeking information.
I think the future of human journalism will center around a journalist's personality and how they establish trust with their audiences.
Patrick Swanson
By outsourcing tasks to AI, journalist can focus on establishing a personal brand and rebuilding trust with the general public.
AI has come to stay. If journalits won't use it, others will.
To benefit from the technological advances journalism students need to learn how to handle AI tools in a responsible and transparent way.
This can only happen if media schools teach them how to use AI properly.
Journalism is on the verge of an new era. By using the freed-up resources wisely journalists can XY
A story by: Alberte Caroline Greve, Anastasiia Kovtun, Davit Tsakadze and Mavie Michelitsch
Mentoring: Dominik Sinnreich