Verifying truth in AI era: Workshop held at Osmania University journalism department

Hyderabad: A day-long workshop on artificial intelligence was held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at the Department of Journalism, Osmania University. The session was part of ADIRA (AI for Digital Readiness & Advancement), an initiative by the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific, supported by Google.org and the Asian Development Bank, and hosted by Osmania University with support from DataLEADS.

The workshop was conducted by senior journalist and fact-check trainer Sudhakar Reddy Udumula, Editor (Investigations) at The Times of India, Hyderabad. With over 28 years of experience, he shared insights from investigative reporting and conflict zone coverage to illustrate the practical use of AI in journalism.

Students were introduced to AI tools for newsgathering and verification, techniques to detect deepfakes, and ways to identify manipulated content. The session also addressed the ethical challenges posed by AI, such as misinformation and bias.

Sudhakar Reddy stressed the importance of human judgment when using AI tools and discussed the transition from AI-assisted workflows to AI-integrated newsroom models. He also explained the concept of Future Agentic AI and the limitations of current systems, including hallucinations and inherent bias.

More than 50 students participated in the workshop and received certificates upon completion. The session included interactive activities and hands-on tasks to help participants apply the tools and concepts discussed. The workshop is part of a wider effort to equip journalism students with the skills needed to navigate a changing media landscape.