Will artificial intelligence substitute the human mind?

The international scientific and practical forum “Artificial Intelligence in the Media Space: Issues and Perspectives” started at Turan University on February 21, 2024. The event was organized by the Department of Journalism and Translation Studies.

The participants raised important questions related to the new opportunities and challenges associated with artificial intelligence. It was discussed that new technologies today are dual-use tools, which can be used for beneficial purposes while also potentially causing harm.

Therefore, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty prepared a presentation of a textbook for journalism teachers titled “Coverage of Artificial Intelligence Themes”. Its aim is to inspire and empower the teaching staff so that they can assist both novice and experienced journalists in understanding one of the most significant issues of modern times and subsequently use new tools consciously and responsibly.

In his welcome letter, Jatin Srivastava, Professor and Director of Institute for International Journalism at Ohio University (USA), noted that while AI tools create numerous problems and threats for current practitioners, they also open up significant prospects for the media industry and educational institutions. Therefore, it is up to us to decide how we use these tools.

The organizing committee of the forum includes Anna Sergeyevna Buzelo, Head of the Department of Journalism and Translation studies, Professor Alma Aliyevna Kurmanbaeva, Deputy Head of the Department, Associate Professor; Tatyana Mikhailovna Zatonskaya, responsible for the department’s public relations and Aitolkyn Berikovna Ashimova, Senior Lecturer at Turan University

Dina Ibragimovna Razakova, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development, Science and Innovation, Candidate of Economic Sciences, PhD, also delivered a welcoming speech.

The theme aroused significant interest, drawing practitioners, teachers, and researchers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the United States, and Russia. Therefore, Turan University reaffirmed its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals again and facilitated the gathering of experts from Central Asia to discuss emerging trends in the educational and professional media landscape.

Within the framework of the forum on February 21-22, 2024, there were also held the master classes, trainings and a quest for students and undergraduates conducted by Aidyn Mautkhan, founder of NEO AI, one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan, Gasyr Kuralbayuly, web programmer of the Turkestan TV channel, Tatyana Golubtsova, regional media and information literacy expert, media trainer (Internews, 2019-2023).

We express our gratitude to all the participants for providing their reports and presentations.