Charles University and Microsoft expand cooperation with digital literacy project

Charles University has signed a supplement to its memorandum of cooperation with Microsoft. The cooperation between the two institutions has now expanded to include the “Verifee” project.

“Verifee” is a project of the Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO) that is realised through Charles University. The programme to support digital literacy is based on the principle of artificial intelligence and assesses the trustworthiness of articles in the media. Its capacity to process large quantities of data means that it is capable of recognising and flagging manipulative textual elements. The platform will serve thousands of students and, later, the general public. Microsoft will support the project through the provision of Microsoft Azure credits worth 12 500 USD with validity until 30 June 2024. 

Charles University and Microsoft wish to continue their joint contribution to the education of the Czech population in cybernetic security and IT skills while also advocating democratic values and protection against disinformation. “We want to jointly support education in media and digital literacy, which is one of the key factors in recognising disinformation and manipulation. Verifee is a tool that can be used by anyone to verify the trustworthiness of an article,” said Charles University Rector Milena Králíčková on the signature of the supplement to the memorandum of cooperation.

“Almost 30% of Czechs trust at least one media source that spreads disinformation. This is an alarming number. The Verifee platform can help people to recognise manipulation and disinformation. As the project was started by three students, cooperation with the University is highly authentic. The project is comprehensible to all generations and also shows the positive impact of the use of artificial intelligence,” adds Violeta Luca, Microsoft’s General Manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.