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Research background: As Artificial Intelligence (AI) weaves into the fabric of daily life, its societal and economic implications underscore the urgency of embracing an environment conducive to its informed adoption. This requires a sophisticated understanding of the societal perception and adaptability to AI, emphasizing the importance of developing comprehensive AI literacy. Purpose of the article: This study inquiries into the sociodemographic underpinnings of AI literacy, aiming to demystify how knowledge about AI's capabilities in everyday tasks varies across individual population segments. It allows us to define the basic determinants that influence the differences in the individual population structures. It also reveals the potential risks associated with the use of AI. Methods: This study investigates the awareness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in daily lives of the Czech population, focusing on the influence of socio-demographic factors. Utilizing computer-assisted web interviewing, we surveyed 1,041 respondents in April 2023, ensuring representativeness by applying quotas for age, gender, education, region, and residential area size. Our investigation spanned AI applications in sectors like customer service, music playlist recommendation, email sorting, healthcare, online shopping, and home devices. Findings & value added: Findings taken from descriptive statistics reveal variable AI awareness levels across different domains, with younger demographics exhibiting notably lower awareness in several areas. Regression analysis highlighted that awareness is significantly associated with gender, age, and education level. Regression analysis showed that males, younger age groups and those with higher levels of education were more likely to correctly answer majority of questions about the role of AI in everyday life. These insights are crucial for stakeholders aiming to enhance AI literacy, tailor communication strategies, and develop digital platforms, offering guidance for policymakers and market analysts in optimizing AIrelated initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to explain the Czech Republic's geopolitical vacillation between the West and East over the past three and half decades. We tie this behavior, where one orientation never prevails permanently, to the continuity of political elites from the communist to the post-communist periods. In addition to general relevance, we discuss its implications for the country's recent reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The focal points of this analysis are the geopolitical discourses and practices of three consecutive presidents: Václav Havel, Václav Klaus, and Miloš Zeman, each marking a decade in the Czech presidential office. We provide a historical-structural context to show that the Czech case has been an important example of a small state with its security continuously compromised by the hierarchical penetrations of great powers: Nazi Germany, the USSR/Russia, and most recently, China and the United States. Yet, as we demonstrate, the Czech Republic cannot be considered a stereotypical victim with mixed-sovereignty agreements being imposed on it. We present the three presidents in their active roles of geopolitical architects vis-à-vis the great powers as well as the Czech government. Heuristically, we conceptualize presidential foreign-and-security activities as performative geoprostitution. We show that for Havel, the primary act of geoprostitution was institutionalizing a civilizational client-patron relationship between a small state and a superpower (the United States). In contrast, not only was Klaus and Zeman's performative geoprostitution different due to its Eastern orientation, but it was motivated by their self-importance and desire to carve out political legacies and greased by corrupted business interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]