Previous version of our website: old.vfu.bg/en
THE MASTER CLASS "THE ART OF COMMUNICATION" IN VARNA MEETS MEDIA TRADITION WITH THE CHALLENGES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
10 September 2025
The International House of Journalists in Varna hosted the master class "The Art of Communication", organised by Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" and the Union of Bulgarian Journalists. The forum brought together representatives of the academic community, media and communication business to discuss the dialogue between traditions, new technologies and the responsibility of the media in the age of artificial intelligence.
Dr. Arthur Kordon outlined the scenarios for interaction between artificial and natural intelligence,which poses challenges to journalism; Prof. Margarita Pesheva, PhD and Prof. Milko Petrov, D.Sc. leafed through the 70-year history of Bulgarian television; Prof. Stefan Serezliev, PhD explored the role of AI in branding and digital advertising; Magdalena Todorova, journalist and documentarian complemented the picture with a practical look at visual storytelling in her film productions.
"The master classes "The Art of Communication", organised by Assoc. Prof. Georgi Kalaglarski, managed to definitively become a trademark of Varna Free University and to win a place as one of the symbols and important dates present in our academic calendar." With these words, Assoc. Prof. Eleonora Tankova, PhD, Vice-Rector for Institutional Cooperation and Development at VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" welcomed the participants in the forum dedicated to media and artificial intelligence.
"We continue to sustainably develop our forum "The Art of Communication" and to cover increasingly topical, modern and, above all, necessary topics to develop," Assoc. Prof. Georgi Kalaglarski, initiator of the forum, commented.
A special guest at the event was Maria Netsova, Chairperson of the Ethics Commission at the Union of Bulgarian Journalists: "On behalf of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, I express my gratitude to our tireless colleague Georgi Kalagarski, who is one of the driving forces behind this forum. I was impressed by what Dr. Kordon said about artificial intelligence. He compares it to the two-faced god Janus. From Greek mythology, we know that this is a god who laughs with one face and cries with the other. With this metaphor, he shows the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence. I am especially impressed by its projection in journalism. Through artificial intelligence, our colleagues can become ordinary correspondents and reporters, and their talent can be depersonalised. Then we will not have personalities like Yosif Herbst or Stefan Prodev, because they will be depersonalised. There is a Roman proverb that says "Forewarned means forearmed."
Prof. Arthur Kordon defined the main interactions between natural and artificial intelligence, emphasising that there is now a new definition of technology that allows machines to simulate human learning, understanding, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, and autonomy.
Prof. Stefan Serezliev commented that: “The future of PR is not about replacing people with machines. AI can provide information on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. Enhancing human creativity and judgment with more innovative tools should be the focus. Authentic voices, empathy and ethical judgment cannot be outsourced.”
The four-volume book "Television in Bulgaria: 1954–2024" was presented by Prof. Margarita Pesheva, PhD and Prof. Milko Petrov, D.Sc.
The poet Ivaylo Dimanov, member of the Board of the Bulgarian Union of Journalists and Chairperson of the Commission on Professional and Creative Activities, presented his latest book "Dance This Life", together with performances by Maria Radkova
Magdalena Todorova, winner of two first prizes "Golden Rose" from the Ministry of Tourism for film productions, presented some of her documentaries and shared examples from television practice. She commented that for years she has been working with people with whom she meets precisely through the forum "The Art of Communication".
With the presentation of the master's programmes: "Cultural Tourism Management" and "Advertising and Public Relations in Business Management" at VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar", the master class, uniting representatives of the academic community, company managers, communication experts, journalists and writers, successfully concluded.
Text and text: Magdalena Todorova