Faculty members and students of the Journalism educational program at Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages took part in the 13th International Winter School of Journalism and Communication “Media Pluralism: AI Science in Central Asia,” dedicated to World Radio Day.
The Winter School was held offline from February 18 to 21, 2026, in Almaty and the Almaty region. The opening ceremony took place at the UN Plaza Almaty conference hall. As part of the program, participants visited the editorial office of Radio Shalqar, the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Kulboldy Library, and also took part in a foresight session at the Oi-Qaragai Mountain Resort in the Ile-Alatau State National Park.
The event brought together undergraduate and graduate students, PhD candidates, faculty members, and journalists from China, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Karakalpakstan. The organizers included the Office of the United Nations Department of Global Communications in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, and the Association for the Study of Journalism in Central Asia and China.
The theme of the School - “Media Pluralism: AI Science in Central Asia” - focused on issues of digital sovereignty, the integration of artificial intelligence into journalism, the development of media pedagogy, and the formation of new professional competencies for journalists in the AI era. The program featured modular sessions entitled “Journalism in the AI Ecosystem,” “AI Communication and Ethics,” “Philosophy of Communication in the AI Age,” “Media Pedagogy and AI,” and other areas.
During the plenary and modular sessions, representatives of international organizations, universities, and media institutions delivered presentations, including experts from the OSCE, UNESCO, and the UNDP, as well as editors-in-chief and heads of research centers. Participants discussed contemporary challenges in the media sphere, the development of podcasting, digital literacy, and the use of AI tools in the work of journalists and press services.
The participation of faculty and students of Ablaikhan University in the International Winter School became an important platform for academic exchange, the enhancement of professional competencies, and the strengthening of international cooperation in journalism and communication.
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