Artificial Intelligence and Communication Workshop

Collaboration agreement between the Basque Institute of Public Administration (IVAP) and the University of the Basque Country for the development of university micro-credentials.

Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we approach the analysis and production of informational content. This course focuses specifically on generative AI and its applications within the field of communication, exploring how this technology can be used to create resources for both academic study and professional practice.

In the context of disinformation and media literacy, the study of artificial intelligence is particularly relevant, as it redefines how information is disseminated, produced, and verified. Analysing these processes helps us understand how traditional criteria of credibility are shifting, and what skills citizens need in order to navigate an information environment increasingly shaped by algorithms.

Learning outcomes and type of achievement

- Understand the basic principles of generative artificial intelligence and language models, identifying their potential, limitations, and main applications in the fields of communication and journalism.
- Apply generative AI tools in a practical manner for the analysis, production, and adaptation of news content, while respecting professional and communicative standards.
- Verify information and assess the reliability of sources in algorithmically mediated digital environments, identifying risks of disinformation and errors derived from the automated use of data.
- Critically analyse the ethical, social, and professional implications of the use of generative AI, incorporating criteria of transparency, accountability, and media literacy into communicative practice.

Methodology

The course methodology is based on an asynchronous online format designed to allow students to organise their learning in a flexible way, progressing through modules with materials available from the outset and a schedule of deadlines that structures the pace of work.

The approach combines expository content, such as videos, guided readings and applied examples, with practical activities focused on the use of generative AI in real communication contexts, so that learning is built through application rather than solely through conceptual understanding.

In each module, a recurring sequence is proposed that integrates the introduction of concepts, a brief self-assessment to check the assimilation of content, and an analysis or production task that requires justified decision-making, documentation of the process and reflection on the limits of AI.

Assessment is conceived as continuous and evidence-based, consisting of a set of graded activities that make it possible to monitor students’ progression: module-based self-assessment quizzes to verify understanding of key foundations, practical deliverables linked to AI-assisted content production and information verification, and reasoned participation in asynchronous forums focused on cases of disinformation and professional dilemmas.

Across all tasks, criteria such as communicative clarity, compliance with communication standards, traceability of the working process, quality of source verification, ability to identify biases and limitations, and the explicit incorporation of ethical considerations are assessed, maintaining as a guiding principle that the use of AI must be transparent and declared whenever appropriate.