PRACTICE OF CREATING VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS FOR PROMOTION OF SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT TOPICS AMONG STUDENTS

The experience of creating virtual influencers as one of the promising tools of artificial intelligence used in higher education is described in the article. The necessity of integration of such tools into the educational process is noted. The purpose of this article is to analyze the theoretical foundations and substantiate the practical aspects of developing virtual influencers to promote socially significant topics among students. The author conceptualizes virtual influencers as digital characters having social media accounts and communicating with their audience online. The following methods were used in the study: analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature on the problem, systematization of pedagogical experience, and surveying students. The article presents an algorithm for creating virtual influencers, consisting of five consecutive stages: setting goals, getting to know the topic, completing tasks, creating a presentation and evaluating the effectiveness of the event. The students' assessment on a 10-point scale before and after the practice demonstrates an increase in their professional capabilities: finding non-standard approaches to solving problems using AI, creating a prompt for generating text and images, verifying data and checking its accuracy, considering ethical aspects and presenting the results of research using AI. The author notes an increase in students' awareness (78% of respondents) about a socially significant topic (healthy lifestyle). The analysis of the reflective questionnaire showed high ratings on a ten-point scale on the parameters: relevance — 9, interest — 9.08, activity — 9.66, practical significance — 8.66 and usefulness to the target audience — 9.34. The presented materials demonstrate the potential of using these digital tools to increase learners' interest in the subjects they are studying.