Framing the Future: AI, Truth, and the Ethics of Documentary

Participants: Nadežda Čačinovič, Marko Zelenović, Marko Porobija i Tomislav Fiket
Introduction: Nenad Puhovski
Moderator: Robert Tomić Zuber

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion on the intersection of AI and documentary filmmaking, where creative possibilities meet ethical challenges. Experts from AI, film, philosophy, aesthetics, and media theory will explore how these technologies are reshaping storytelling - offering new tools while raising urgent questions about truth, transparency, and accountability. Can AI deepen our narratives, or does it risk distorting reality? How do we uphold artistic integrity in an era of machine-generated content? This conversation will provide fresh insights for filmmakers, researchers, and industry professionals navigating the evolving role of AI in documentary production.

Nadežda Čačinovič, professor emerita, from the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, one of the founders of the Centre for Women’s Studies in Zagreb and from 2009 to 2017, president of the Croatian PEN Centre. Born in 1947 in Budapest. Published the following books: Subjekt kritičke teorije, Zagreb 1980; Pisanje i mišljenje, Zagreb 1981; Estetika njemačke romantike, Zagreb 1987; Estetika, Zagreb 1988; Ogled o pismenosti, Zagreb 1994; U ženskom ključu, Zagreb 2001; Doba slika u teoriji mediologije, Zagreb 2001, Parvulla aesthetica, Zagreb 2004, Vodič kroz svjetsku književnost za inteligentnu ženu, Zagreb 2007 , Zašto čitati filozofe, Zagreb 2009; O ljubavi, knjigama i stvarima koje govore, Zagreb 2012 ; Kultura i civilizacija, 2012; Uvod u filozofiju književnosti, 2017. Poželjnost krize, Zagreb 2024. Edited the collection Žene i filozofija (Zagreb 2006).

Marko Porobija has almost two decades of experience in law. He is a lawyer and managing partner of his law firm Porobija & Špoljarić. Marko has focused on legal issues related to cutting-edge technology for a long time – from law concerning the classical IT world, to the latest legal dilemmas related to artificial intelligence, computer security and data protection. In addition, he teaches at Algebra Bernays University, and is the author of many professional articles on the connection between law and technology.

Marko Zelenović is a first-year student at FER and an assistant in the Artificial Intelligence course at Zagreb’s XV Gymnasium (MIOC). He gained experience developing AI systems at the start-up Mindsmiths and leading a team that predicted the results of the parliamentary elections in Croatia with 92% accuracy at the AI Elections competition. He is currently focusing on educating high school students about the practical application of artificial intelligence.

Tomislav Fiket studied film and TV directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. He was the editor-in-chief of the only gaming television station in the Balkans – Playomania. He has directed nine documentaries on socially engaged topics and over 50 videos for well-known regional bands (including Zabranjeno pušenje, Hladno pivo, KUD Idijoti). For television, he directed the children’s series Jura Hura and the medium-length film Kao da pričaš o meni. Since his youth, he has been an engaged activist, and has made many promotional videos for various initiatives and associations (e.g. an SOS hotline for women and children victims of violence). He is active in the field of political satire (the show Stanje nacije), in addition to promoting and broadcasting the Festival ljevice i alternative Šibenik (FALIŠ) and the Škure Festival. He often publishes photoshopped AI graphics and videos on social networks, and is the author of a solo exhibition of AI works in Zagreb and Šibenik. He makes satirical T-shirts under his brand Bad Habit.

NOTE: The spoken language is Croatian.