A new global AI accelerator programme will help newsrooms throughout the world fast-track adoption and implementation.

WAN-Ifra announced the launch of the broad-based accelerator programme for 128 publishers across Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and South Asia in a partnership with OpenAI.

WAN-Ifra chief executive Vincent Peyrègne said he was delighted by OpenAI’s support to help newsrooms provide high-quality journalism. “News enterprises across the globe have come under pressure from declining advertising and print subscription revenues. The adversity confronting news leaves communities without access to a shared basis of facts and shared values, and puts democracy itself at risk.

“AI technologies can positively influence news organisations’ sustainability as long as you quickly grasp the stakes and understand how to turn it to your advantage.”

The Newsroom AI Catalyst is an accelerator programme designed to help newsrooms fast-track their AI adoption and implementation to bring efficiencies and create quality content.

“The era of AI, and especially generative AI, brings significant opportunities for newsrooms and publishers: AI can assist in creating and improving content or help to do deeper analysis of information and data. It can also enhance the user experience on news websites.

“Newsrooms also use AI to find new formats for delivering information. But there are, at the same time, new challenges for journalists, publishers and society, like the potential growth and spread of misinformation and topics around privacy, copyright, bias and others,” he said.

The intensive programme combines expert guidance with hands-on experience, with OpenAI – the AI research and deployment company behind ChatGPT –funding and providing technical assistance to the initiative.

OpenAI chief of intellectual property and content Tom Rubin said the company was committed to harnessing the transformative power of AI to expand opportunities broadly. “We are excited to collaborate with WAN-Ifra and news publishers worldwide to cultivate a healthy, sustainable ecosystem that promotes quality journalism.”

The three months-per-team programme includes learning modules, hands-on workshops, a mini hackathon, and a showcase. It starts with an in-person workshop for the participants and coaches to get to know each other and kick-start the AI prototyping project, so that they leave with a clear idea and plan on how to roll out AI in their newsrooms.

Pictured: WAN-Ifra president Ladina Heimgartner, Tom Rubin and Vincent Peyrègne at the World News Media Congress in Copenhagen. (Photo Camilla Vodstrup).