The Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom at the European University Institute is partnering with the University of Dubrovnik and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in organising an interdisciplinary academic conference 17th Dubrovnik Media Days, this year exploring the structural implications of generative AI for the integrity and economy of the information space, as well as its impact on the future of education.
The conference will be followed by a Policy Lab, co-organised by the Adria Digital Media Observatory (ADMO), the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), and the Agency for Electronic Media of Croatia, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to address the challenges of digital transformation in news media and political communication.
Generative Artificial Intelligence is already in wide application and used by various users, including online platforms, communication strategists, the media, and individuals.
What distinguishes generative AI from other types of AI is its ability to rapidly generate content based on users’ instructions or queries and can also transform content from one format to another, for example from text to visuals. This holds great opportunities for more inclusive access to the exchange of information, but also risks aggravating the problem of disinformation, amplifying biases and further fragmenting the already fragmented public sphere.
The conference will critically examine the structural implications of generative AI for journalism, democratic processes, and the wider information ecosystem. A particular focus will be placed on how generative AI impacts the economic sustainability of investigative journalism, as well as its potential to dilute media reach, separate content from its source, and challenge existing models of news production and distribution.
At the same time, the conference will address both the risks and opportunities of generative AI: from its capacity to enhance transparency, access to information, and strategic public communication to its potential misuse through deepfakes, voice cloning, and voter manipulation.
This rapidly evolving environment calls for a reconsideration of current research approaches and methods, greater cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a stronger emphasis on ethics in education, particularly in the training of future journalists and communication specialists.
The 17th Dubrovnik Media Days on Generative AI: Transforming Journalism, Strategic Communication, and Education is conceived as a two-day (22-23 October) scientific conference followed by a one-day (24 October) Policy Lab, seeking to build synergies and exchange between academia, experts, regulators, and policy-makers.
The scientific conference will bring together emerging and senior scholars from various disciplines and interests in the integrity of the information sphere, democracy, media and journalism, competition and antitrust, copyright, education, and regulation.
Keynotes are: Murielle Poppa-Fabre, Senior Tech & Policy Advisor, AI & Society Institute, École Normale Supérieure (ENS-PSL); Nicolas Petit, Professor of Competition Law and Head of the Department of Law at the European University Institute; Silvio Waisbord, Professor at the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.
The conference is hosted by the Faculty of Media and Public Relations at the University of Dubrovnik.