Excursion to the Editorial Office of aktuality.sk: Artificial Intelligence Is All Around Us, Therefore We Must Practice Critical Thinking

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly common part of our lives. We explored this topic during another excursion we organized for the children from the Open Future. This time, we visited the Bratislava editorial office of the news portal aktuality.sk, and the focus wasn’t just on AI.   

“Did you know that there are photos and profiles on social media that aren’t real?” asked Ján Trangel from aktuality.sk, opening an engaging talk about artificial intelligence and its risks. The topic captured the interest of our second and third graders. They joined in the discussion, sharing their own experiences with unreal deepfake videos or profile pictures of people that were generated by AI. 

“Artificial intelligence is already significantly advanced. It can mimic reality very precisely. That’s why it’s extremely important to think critically about everything we see on the Internet. It may have nothing to do with reality and could be deceptive,” J. Trangel continued, emphasizing: “The most important thing is to think critically and question the photos and videos you come across online or on social media.” 

As part of the excursion to the editorial office of the well-known news and journalism portal, the children also toured multimedia studios used for creating podcasts, videos, or as photo ateliers. Photographers and cameramen from aktuality.sk explained how they work with expensive camera equipment and lighting. We saw firsthand that a modern studio offers nearly limitless possibilities for content creation. Our hosts also gave a fascinating explanation of the many ways to light a scene in a studio setting.

Journalism Should Be the Guardian of Democracy 

During the third part of the program, we listened to a talk of one of Slovakia’s most experienced investigative journalists – Ján Petrovič. “Our job is to investigate suspicions of illegal activities by those who are paid from our taxes. Journalism is meant to serve as a watchdog of democracy,” he summarized the main mission of investigative reporters. 

Ján Petrovič explained the methods of professional journalistic work and highlighted the use of open sources in exposing wrongdoers. “A good example is the cadastral portal, where you can find a lot of useful information about the real owners of land and property.” The children liked the fact that the work of investigative journalists often resembles that of detectives. 

Children from the Open Future during the talk of Ján Petrovič from the aktuality.sk portal.