October 29, 2019 - The topic of AI has become very popular recently, both in academic papers and in popular media. This topic is discussed from many different viewpoints and in different areas.  What everybody seems to agree on is that the field of AI has changed significantly in the past couple of years and will likely continue to do so. During the AI conferences I attended as a participant or a lecturer, I identified an area of the Education System as one very interesting for the application of AI. To estimate if this out of many areas could make the most significant impact, if upgraded by AI, I asked a question: Do we have a crisis in education? 

There are some facts regarding the school system that cannot be ignored: Even after several years in school, millions of children cannot read, write, or do basic math. This learning crisis is widening social gaps instead of narrowing them. Young students who are already disadvantaged by poverty, conflict, gender, or disability reach young adulthood without even the most basic life skills. Worldwide numbers are staggering – out of around 650 million children that are in primary school, 130 million didn’t learn the basics, and an additional 120 million didn’t complete four years of primary school.  In this context, AI-based educations could be a solution to social and economic problems. 

So on one side, we have very bold predictions of widespread future use of AI – for example, 7 out of 10 companies plan to replace some of the positions with technological solutions. On the other side, we have data about investments in AI in different sectors. And unlike Retail, Media, Automotive or Health areas, in which investments are significant, an area of education is lagging with a shallow level of investments, together with Telecommunication, Travel, Tourism, etc. In addition, regardless of the level of investments, every area has a level of adaptation of AI, where the biggest adoption is among strong digital adopters. An area of Education is in this segment also in the group of low adopters. 

What can we hope for in case this investment/adoption issue changes for the best? More than a few challenges could be connected with the education solutions: promoting a fair and knowledge-based society, promoting lifelong learning (which www.mba-croatia.com is promoting), education that is equally available for everyone, and education that is accessible and global, to name a few.  

Those challenges are recognized on the political level, at least nominally. UNESCO states that “there is no doubt that AI will revolutionize the delivery and management of education and learning” and point out that we will need a dynamic review of how AI will transform teacher’s roles. Teachers are already facing some challenges explicitly connected to their roles: moving from a knowledge owner approach to a knowledge self-search and learn guide approach, how to use collective work and distance-based educational methods or to produce, re-use and share educational resources. In general, AI is expected to assist them in the future, both in student teaching and student support, but also in the field of teacher support and system support. 

With a large amount of data that is or will be available and with proper AI software, education institutions and teachers will be able to: 

do behavioral-based analysis to know the speed and depth of student learning; 

discover the student’s preferences and reuse that data to improve education & technology

discover emotions and feelings about education and the technology use

give trainers more accurate data about students and their learning processes

show students their own learning data to improve self-direct learning

discover the further learning needs of the students based on their behavior

This could be very important in planning our next steps. If we define our best teachers, as somebody with the nuanced understanding of students and also an appreciation for both content and the context in which it is delivered, it is clear that to build an intelligent and personalized system that can scale to every student, Student Intelligence and Content Intelligence is needed.

Possibly the biggest advantage of AI use could be for the students with problems (remember those 250 million children from the beginning of the article?). Students all learn differently, and a good teacher must attempt to deliver lessons in a way that resonates with every child in the classroom. Some students may have behavioral or psychological problems that inhibit or complicate that process. Others may have parents who are not involved enough in their education. Effective teachers must be able to navigate these many hurdles while satisfying often-changing curriculum requirements. 

Mid-term benefits for the students, and teachers could be education at any time, education platform adapted to their personal needs, virtual mentors, automatic curriculum formation, ability to detect weakness much better and deeper involvement into the education process. 

One USA college already created an AI teaching assistant and students didn’t recognize it was not a human. 

Considering all that, and current plans to advance AI agenda on the EU level, it seems it would be the right time for Croatia to address this potential, or even (let’s be optimistic) lead those changes on the EU political level. What needs to be defined and followed by regulations is the following:

1. Comprehensive public policy on AI for sustainable development
2. Ensuring inclusion and equity in AI in education
3. Preparing teachers for AI-powered education and developing AI to understand education

In the best-case scenario with proper use of AI in education we could be able to achieve:

1. Personalization - remedial students, advanced students, ESL students and the disabled all need to have the same access to learning. AI systems easily adapt to each student’s individual learning needs and can target students with teaching instructions based on their strengths and weaknesses
2. Course Improvement - Teachers may not always be aware of gaps in their lectures and educational materials that can leave students confused about certain concepts. Artificial intelligence offers a way to solve that problem. (Coursera, a massive open online course provider, is already putting this into practice. When a large number of students are found to submit the wrong answer to a homework assignment, the system alerts the teacher and gives future students a customized message that offers hints to the correct answer.) 
3. Trial and Error Learning made easier - Trial and error is a critical part of learning, but for many students, the idea of failing, or even not knowing the answer, is paralyzing. Some simply don’t like being put on the spot in front of their peers or authority figures like a teacher. An intelligent computer system, designed to help students learn, is a much less daunting way to deal with trial and error. Artificial intelligence could offer students a way to experiment and learn in a relatively judgment-free environment, especially when AI tutors can offer solutions for improvement.

What have we done so far? Ratko Mutavdzic stated in one interview that the AI community in Croatia gathered 4500 people. We have interesting conferences on the topic of AI - http://ai2future.com/ , but nothing significant connected specifically with education. 

The second question that was raised by the FutureHR company (https://www.linkedin.com/company/futurehrconsulting/) was about the current status and level of preparation of our teachers and professors since that is recognized as one obvious factor for future adoption.  Maybe it could be interesting to review some of the survey data, and put it in the context of current negotiations between teachers and the government, where the only topic is their salaries, but not many other factors that are influencing the future of our education in the long term.

1. Around 40% of our education workers (elementary, and high school professors and school directors) state that they have no, or below average general knowledge about the development of AI. An additional 32 percent estimate that they have some knowledge about it. Only 1% is very familiar with the topic and closely monitoring the latest developments.
2. On the question of familiarity with any AI tools that could be used in education, 66% state that they have no or below-average knowledge/awareness of them.
3. As expected, similar to the low level of basic familiarity with the AI tools, 85% state that they don’t use any AI or AI connected tools at all.
4. On the question if the education workers should be educated themselves on the topic of AI – 62% agree that they should be, 4% state they shouldn’t be, and 33% are not sure.
5. And lastly, one very interesting detail – when asked about how many of them applied for any Coursera seminars, answers were: 49% didn’t try Coursera, 20% did use it, and an incredible 31% don’t even know what MOOCs (Mass open online courses) are!

We can only assume that this selected sample is, more or less, representing the average person in Croatia, and that all of us, except the mentioned 4500 people in the AI community, should be educated at least on the basics of the AI and the changes it will inevitably bring. It is encouraging to see that HUP (Croatian Employer’s Association) created a document called “Potencijal umjetne inteligencije za Hrvatsku” and that the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts is also working on some strategies and recommendations, but those are only the first steps. 

Final quote: “We’re headed for a world where you’re either going to be able to write algorithms … or be replaced by algorithms.”  Ray Dalio.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

As Glas Istre/Luka Jelavic writes on the 28th of October, 2019 twelve mushroom associations with more than two hundred mushrooms, mostly from Istria and other parts of Croatia (Karlovac, Rijeka, Sesvete), Slovenia (Sežana) and Italy (Muggia, Vicenza, Trieste), participated in the competition in search and collection of mushrooms and in other contents of this year's manifestation "Mushroom Days" held in Brtonigla.

Everyone agrees that this is the largest such event, not only in Brtonigla and Istria, but also in Croatia, both in terms of the sheer number of participants and in terms of the number of visitors. The nice weather also made things run smoothly, which delighted all those present.

At the official opening of the 17th edition of the Brtonigla event, the participants were greeted by the heads of the Tourism and Agriculture Departments of Istria County.

On the first day of the manifestation, after the official opening, those there in a professional capacity went in search of mushrooms. The areas were chosen by the participants themselves as the primary aim was to find the most beautiful and largest mushroom and to prepare the most beautiful basket filled with mushrooms and other decorations nature brings during autumn.

Upon the return of all the participants, after hours of searching and collecting "forest meat", a special committee decided that the most beautiful mushroom was brought by the Bresadol mushroom team from Trieste, while the biggest mushroom, a 12 kg specimen, brought by the team from Vicenze (Italy). Members of the mushroom association from Sežana arranged the most beautiful basket full of mushrooms, and they also received the same recognition last year.

A large exhibition of mushrooms with 230 specimens of edible, inedible and poisonous mushrooms, collected mainly in the Bujština area, was prepared in a large tent, where  the scent of mushroom scents spread quickly. Visitors were interested in getting better acquainted with the mushrooms that were described, with their names and characteristics, and this was an opportunity to learn something new and to get to know a part of the world of above-ground mushrooms.

The picking season has been good and there have been plenty of mushrooms, as seen in the exhibition which was prepared by certain members. Along with mushrooms, art and other works of elementary school students and kindergarten students from Brtonigla on the topic of mushrooms were also showcased.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

October 29, 2019 - A new decision by the World Boxing Council forces Croatian professional boxer Filip Hrgovic to make a tough decision about competing at the Tokyo Olympics next year. 

Gol.hr reports that Croatia's best boxer Filip Hrgovic, a bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics, dreamed of winning the gold medal next year in Tokyo. For that reason, he recently engaged former coach Leonard Pietra and specific staff in the boxing federation. 

"Next year is the qualifying tournament, in May, and this is the last qualifying tournament. The plan for me and my team is to go to that tournament and to qualify that way. There have been some misunderstandings about the attitude of the Croatian Olympic Committee and the Croatian Boxing Federation towards my team and me. I believe that this will be smoothed over and that everything will be arranged for me to participate in that tournament, to qualify and, God willing, win an Olympic medal, and even better, Olympic gold,” Hrgovic said in March this year.

But it seems like nothing may come of that in the end. Namely, official confirmation from the most famous boxing organization (World Boxing Council) has said that all professional boxers are threatened with a two-year suspension if they decide to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

At the 57th annual WBC convention in Cancun, Mexico, the views of organization leader Mauritius Sulaiman were confirmed, announcing a decision like this at the beginning of the month.

Sulaiman believes professionals should not fight young, underdeveloped amateurs, and therefore announced a repeat of the 1975 suspensions.

‘’We are inspired by the South Africa ban that my Father did with WBC in 1975 when we supported the efforts of Nelson Mandela to combat the horrible act of discrimination. The WBC started a ban on anyone who would participate in boxing in South Africa, supporting apartheid. So that is the inspiration and the message."

Discussing the pros who choose to fight amateurs in the Tokyo Olympics, Mauricio stressed: ‘’Well they’re simply expelled from WBC activity for two years.”

Recall, Hrgovic holds the WBC "International Champion" belt, a sort of regional title, and the third-highest in the organization.

Moving to another organization, such as the WBO, WBA, and IBF, is also not a solution for Filip as they will follow WBC decisions.

This decision also effects world champion Andy Ruiz, who considered performing for Mexico in Rio. 

Hrgovic's next match is on December 7 in Riyadh, as part of the introductory program of the big rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

As Morski writes on the 29th of October, 2019, a whole fifteen months from the beginning of the construction of the foundations of the future Peljesac bridge that will finally connect not only the territory of the Republic of Croatia into a single entity, but join that of the European Union itself, the very first contours rise above the sea.

Peljesac bridge seemed like a very far off saga just several years ago, and after Croatia joined the EU it was entitled to access to EU funds, a huge proportion of which are going towards financing the construction of this highly anticipated bridge which will connect, as stated, not only the territory of the country but the territory of the EU, removing the need to cross borders in and out of neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina at Neum when entering or exiting the extreme south of Dalmatia.

Despite the fact that a Chinese company is building the bridge, and the EU was not entirely pleased with the idea, there can be no doubt that the speed at which the Chinese work will see the bridge completed on time.

The Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation requested permission to work 24 hours per day, installed floodlights to allow them to do so and as such have now successfully placed 139 pilots at the bridge's base and then prepared the very first load-bearing columns for the rest of the bridge's upcoming construction.

While the tireless and classically hardworking Chinese are working on what is a capital project on Peljesac bridge, a project of strategic importance to Croatia, more steel structures are being prepared at the two factories over in China, and they're expected to arrive in Croatia to be used on the much anticipated southern Dalmatian bridge in early 2020.

The deadline for completion of the bridge is July 2021, have a quick look and see how it looks today in the video below.

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October 29, 2019 - Clippers center Ivica Zubac played the defensive game of his career, while Bojan Bogdanovic's stellar start continues for the Utah Jazz. 

After an unexpected defeat to the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Clippers responded much better at home, where they easily topped the Charlotte Hornets 111:96.

Croatian center Ivica Zubac finished the game with 7 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes in the ranks of the Clippers, but had the best defensive night of his career as he recorded five blocks during that period. He has never recorded more in a single NBA game, reported Index.hr.

.@ivicazubac is getting it done on both ends. ??

(? @FoxSportsWest) pic.twitter.com/2l8Qwn1P9S

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 29, 2019

The Clippers were led by a fantastic Kawhi Leonard with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Hornets were able to stay in the game until the end of the third quarter when the Clippers led by double-digits, though they were unable to return by the end of the match.

The Hornets thus recorded their third defeat in four games, while the Clippers reached their third win in four games.

Utah narrowly celebrated away at Phoenix on Monday night (96:95). Bojan Bogdanovic’s hot start continued in yet another excellent game in the Utah jersey. In 37 minutes on the court, he scored 29 points (4/5 two-pointers, 4/8 three-pointers, 9/9 free throws) with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Dario Saric played 21 minutes for Phoenix and scored 4 points (0/1 two-pointers, 1/1 three-pointers, 1/2 free throws) with one rebound and three assists.

When we needed him most, Bogey answered.#PerformanceLeader | @Lexus ? pic.twitter.com/9CbbaMXhDD

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 29, 2019

San Antonio was better than Portland 113:110. Luka Samanic did not enter the game for San Antonio, and Mario Hezonja played 19 minutes for Portland and scored 8 points (0/2 two-pointers, 2/5 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws) with six rebounds, one assist, and one block.

Recall,  this comes two days after the biggest upset of the season so far, when Phoenix upset Los Angeles Clippers 130:122. Dario Saric had the better evening then and finished the game with a double-double (15 points and ten rebounds) in 34 minutes on the court, while Zubac added 7 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes, but only hit a weak one of four shots in play. 

Bogdanovic also led the Jazz with 26 points just two days ago against Sacramento, recording four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He hit five of nine two-pointers, two three-pointers, and one free throw. And all this despite an ankle sprain, which he suffered in his debut for the new club on Thursday night. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, October 29, 2019 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Monday that the extension of the time frame for the departure of Great Britain from the European Union (Brexit) would not affect the priorities which Croatia had set for its rotating presidency of the EU in the first half of 2020.

Earlier on Monday, the ambassadors of the EU member-states agreed to a Brexit extension to 31 January 2020, with the option for the UK to leave earlier if a deal is ratified, clearing the way for opposition parties to back a general election.

After the 30-minute ambassadorial meeting, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said the EU27 had agreed to the request made by Boris Johnson just over a week ago.

Addressing the press, the Croatian minister said that this changed nothing in Croatia's agenda.

During its chairmanship, Croatia "will deal with European affairs and follow the political developments in the UK," Grlić Radman said.

He recalled that "entry into the EU is not easy, and the departure is even more difficult", which was why "Croatian citizens should appreciate the EU membership more."

More news about Croatia and Brexit can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, October 29, 2019 - The Croatian Premier League team Rijeka FC on Monday asked for and was given an official statement from President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović regarding her statement about the club's status in the 1980s in which she said that at the time Rijeka was more of a reserve club for the Serbian Partizan and Crvena Zvezda football clubs, which drew many negative comments.

"The purpose of the then political influence on our club's management was to constantly tie Rijeka with Belgrade. The Rijeka that I followed as a supporter in my school days is not the Rijeka we have today. The most talented Croatian players like Zoran Šestan at the time sat on the bench while some others, less talented but politically more suitable were given an opportunity. It was in that context that I described the then Rijeka football club as a reserve club. I know well what the status of Rijeka in the 1980s was and no one can convince me otherwise," the president said.

Grabar-Kitarović also responded to Primorje-Gorski Kotar Deputy County Prefect Marko Boras Mandić who strongly criticised her statement about Rijeka being a reserve Serbian club.

"Armada (Rijeka supporters' club) has always been a symbol of the Croatian Rijeka, of the spite and resistance to hegemonistic policies. I have always supported and will support my Rijeka, my football club... the Rijeka Football Club believes that our club has always belonged to its supporters, its city, region, Croatia and all those who have it in its heart," she said, among other things.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, October 29, 2019 - Interior Minister Davor Davor Božinović said on Monday evening that offences such as those committed by senior police officials Josip Ćelić and Darko Car could not be tolerated and that the consequences were clear.

"Since the very first day when we assumed responsibility for this system, we said that we would always stand behind police officers and the job they performed in line with the law... These offences cannot be tolerated and the consequences are clear," Božinović said at a news conference he held after it was reported that a deputy police director and two more police officials resigned after traffic offence scandals.

Deputy Police Director Josip Ćelić, who recently made headlines after it was reported that he drove at 166 km/h on a road where the speed limit was 50 km/h, tendered his resignation as soon as an expert police team was sent to the Zadar County Police Department in whose area this traffic offence was committed seven months ago.

The Interior Ministry said on Monday afternoon that apart from Ćelić, Darko Car, the head of the Krapina-Zagorje County Police Department, resigned due to a similar traffic offence which he committed in the area within the jurisdiction of the Zadar County Police Department. Apart from these two officials, the head of the Zadar traffic police, Anton Dražina, also stepped down after an inspection team was sent to Zadar at the proposal of chief police director Nikola Milina.

Commenting on the latest developments and inspection findings, Minister Božinović said that "this is the way we run the system. I have said on several occasions that the Interior Ministry is a system that consistently and swiftly responds to irregularities in its ranks."

"They (those officials) tendered their resignations and that's what we expected of them to do," said Božinović.

More news about the Interior Ministry can be found in the Politics section.