On May 12, 2026, two open lectures for IT students of the Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman and the Professional College of Information Systems and Technologies were held in the conference hall of ITERA. The event was organized within the framework of cooperation between the Department of Computer Science of the university and ITERA with the aim of familiarizing students with current trends in the development of artificial intelligence, modern AI tools, and career opportunities in the IT sector.

It is worth noting that this meeting became the third event within the joint educational and practical initiative between the Department of Computer Science of KNEU and ITERA. The company actively cooperates with the university in the field of professional training of future IT specialists, supporting a practice-oriented approach to education, thematic lectures, professional meetings, and familiarization of students with modern trends in the development of the IT industry. This format of cooperation allows students to gain up-to-date knowledge from industry practitioners, better understand the requirements of the modern labor market, and develop professional competencies during their studies.

The event was attended by 1st–4th year students majoring in “Computer Science” as well as master’s students of the programs “Artificial Intelligence Systems” and “Information Control Systems and Technologies.” Students of the college studying in the field of “Software Engineering” also joined the event. Among the attendees were the Head of the Department of Computer Science, Bohdan Tishkov, Deputy Head of the Department for Methodological Work, Yaroslav Vozniuk, and Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Science, responsible for career guidance activities, Kostiantyn Kryvosheiev.

The first lecture was delivered by Ihor Oleksyshyn – Senior Developer, AI Practitioner, and researcher in the field of psychology and modern AI technologies. During the presentation, the speaker introduced students to the practical possibilities of using LLM APIs and modern language models in real business processes.

Special attention was paid to the tasks that modern AI systems can solve: processing PDF documents, OCR for scanned materials, automatic data structuring, creation of custom AI assistants, voice services, and integration of various systems through APIs. The lecturer demonstrated how artificial intelligence can be used to automate routine processes, analyze information, and build intelligent services.

A separate block of the lecture was devoted to Prompt Engineering — the art of creating effective prompts for AI models. Ihor Oleksyshyn explained the principles of building high-quality prompts, structuring tasks, using roles, context, and constraints to obtain more accurate results. Students also learned about the importance of step-by-step formulation of complex tasks and iterative improvement of AI responses.

During the lecture, a typical architecture of modern AI solutions was presented, including LLM APIs, vector databases (RAG), integration with corporate systems, and automation tools. The speaker emphasized that today AI solutions are increasingly being used in production environments for document processing, information retrieval, chat systems, and voice services.

An important part of the presentation was the discussion of the role of humans in the era of artificial intelligence development. The lecturer emphasized that LLM models are only a statistical reflection of humanity’s accumulated knowledge and are not capable of thinking or doubting in the same way as humans. Attention was focused on the necessity of critical thinking, conscious use of AI, and understanding the limitations of modern technologies.

Participants also became acquainted with the modern AI landscape: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, Perplexity, NotebookLM, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Devin, and other tools that are already actively transforming the IT industry.

The second lecture was delivered by Dmytro Fedorchenko – Senior Developer and Psychology Postgraduate. His presentation was devoted to the topic “AI in 2026: From Chat to Code – A Practical Guide for Students.”

The lecturer spoke about how artificial intelligence is changing the modern labor market and IT professions. It was emphasized that AI not only automates part of technical processes but also significantly increases the importance of human skills — critical thinking, a systematic approach, communication, and the ability to adapt quickly to changes.

During the lecture, students learned about the concepts of tokens and context windows in modern LLM models, the specifics of large language models, and the influence of context size on the quality of interaction with AI systems. A comparison of modern GPT, Claude, and Gemini models was also presented.

Particular attention was paid by Dmytro Fedorchenko to the concept of career development in the T-shape format. The speaker emphasized the importance of combining deep expertise in one area with a basic understanding of related fields — DevOps, QA, design, business analysis, and cloud technologies. According to the lecturer, this development model allows specialists to remain competitive in the modern IT industry.

Modern professions whose demand is rapidly growing due to AI development were also discussed, including AI/ML Engineer, Cloud Architect, Data Engineer, and other specialties at the intersection of technology and analytics.

At the end of the meeting, students had the opportunity to ask questions to the lecturers, discuss current AI development trends, and explore employment prospects in the IT sector. Participants actively engaged in discussions, shared their impressions, and discussed the practical application of modern AI tools in education and future professional activities.

The event became an important platform for professional communication between students and IT industry practitioners and allowed students to better understand modern trends in the development of artificial intelligence, new requirements for IT specialists, and career opportunities in the conditions of rapid digital transformation.

We sincerely thank ITERA, as well as lecturers Ihor Oleksyshyn and Dmytro Fedorchenko, for their meaningful presentations, practical experience, and valuable advice for future IT specialists.