The panel discussion raised questions about the role of official statistics and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
The panel discussion entitled
"Information is just a click away - but is it accurate?" was held as part of the award ceremony for the competitors of the 9th Statistics Competition, on Friday, 10 April, at Algebra Bernays University in Zagreb.
The panel featured Jelena Gusić Munđar, mag. math., Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics; Marko Grdešić, PhD, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science; Toni Milun, mathematics lecturer and financial vlogger; Marko Matijević, Editor-in-Chief of the Srednja.hr portal; and Lidija Brković, Acting Director General of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.
The panel discussion raised questions about the role of official statistics, data verification, and the challenges brought by artificial intelligence. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of official statistics in an environment in which information travels faster than ever, artificial intelligence seems convincing, and the public is increasingly faced with the question of whether new, advanced tools are allies or adversaries in providing information.In this context, the following questions were also raised: Why are data and statistics more important today than ever? What does fact-checking in journalism look like? What does official data mean, and why can we trust it more than data from the internet?
"In a world where information is available within seconds, it is important to stop and ask yourself: Who is the source of this information? What is it based on? Is it presented in its entirety or only partially? I would encourage students not to accept data at face value, but to compare them from multiple sources and try to understand the broader context. It is also important to develop awareness that data can be accurate, but the conclusions wrong. This is precisely why statistics help to develop an analytical mindset and draw balanced conclusions," said Lidija Brković.
Mathematics lecturer and financial vlogger Toni Milun spoke about whether we should perceive artificial intelligence as a collaborator or a threat. He pointed out that artificial intelligence can be a useful tool, but only if reliable and verified sources of data, such as those provided by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, are consulted. He warned that in the age of social media, anyone can create content, but that content is often full of inaccurate and misleading information. This is exactly why, Milun pointed out, social media should be approached critically and with special caution, relying on official data as the basis of credible information.
The panel was rounded off with an invitation to the audience to participate in a quiz that raises the issues discussed in an interactive and fun way.
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