V MeLCi Lab Autumn School 2025 Concludes with Strong Participation and Innovative Debate on AI Research

The fifth edition of the MeLCi Lab Autumn School — AI Research Practice and Media and Communication: Science bootcamp to improve research hands-on skills — took place last week, from 11 to 14 November 2025, and concluded with great success. Organised by MeLCi and AISIC Labs at Lusófona University, the online event welcomed 20 students from 9 countries, bringing together a diverse international community of PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scholars working at the intersection of AI, communication, and media studies.

Across four intensive days, participants engaged in workshops, keynote lectures, and tutoring sessions focused on both the practical use of AI tools in research and the critical analysis of AI’s societal impacts. Sessions explored topics such as AI-assisted data annotation, accountable literature search, algorithmic bias, digital inequalities, civic cultures in the age of AI and responsible research design.

The programme featured renowned keynote speakers, including Simone Natale, Massimo Ragnedda, Joana Gonçalves Sá, Mustafa Can Gursesli and Saul Albert, along with hands-on workshops led by experts from Lusófona University. This year’s edition continued to build on the Autumn School’s mission to bridge methodological innovation with critical AI literacy, equipping participants with skills relevant to media analysis, digital journalism, audience research and communication studies more broadly.

With highly positive feedback from participants, the V MeLCi Lab Autumn School strengthened its position as a key annual event for researchers navigating the evolving landscape of AI in communication and media research.