72 NSU students get Google’s AI training

Seventy-two students of the Department of Media and Journalism at North South University (NSU) took part in an intensive "Information Credibility and AI Literacy" training session organised by Google and managed by Prothom Alo on Thursday.

The day-long session was organised on the NSU campus to equip the students with digital verification skills and hands-on experience using Google's advanced AI tools such as NotebookLM, Gemini, Pinpoint, and Google Trends. Participants also learned how to verify information, conduct data analysis, and prepare fact-based reports using these tools.

The opening session featured remarks from Professor Rizwanul Islam, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Rizwan Khair, Chairperson of the Department of Political Science and Sociology; and S M Rizwan ul Alam, Coordinator of the Media and Journalism programme, alongside senior officials from Prothom Alo.

Trainers included Associate Professor Saiful Alam Chowdhury of the University of Dhaka; Associate Professor Abdul Kabil Khan of Daffodil International University; Assistant Professor Maliha Tabassum of the Bangladesh University of Professionals; Azad Baig, journalist at The Daily Star; and A F M Khairul Bashar, Senior Manager at Prothom Alo Digital Business.

Before the session, most students had limited experience with AI tools. However, post-training surveys showed a significant rise in their confidence and usage rates across all platforms. Pinpoint usage rose from 52% to 87%; Google Maps, Reverse Image, and Google Lens from 82% to 92%; Google Trends from 63% to 88%; NotebookLM from 51% to 87% and Gemini from 83% to 91%.

The initiative is part of Google and Prothom Alo's nationwide programme to strengthen digital literacy among journalism students. Similar sessions have already been conducted at Daffodil International University and the Bangladesh University of Professionals, with upcoming sessions planned at Chittagong University, University of Barishal, and Khulna University.