OpenAI and Microsoft are investing $10 million in a new fellowship program aimed at helping local newsrooms explore ways to effectively incorporate AI technologies into their daily operations.
Announced on Tuesday, the program will see OpenAI and Microsoft collaborate with The Lenfest Institute, a nonprofit focused on creating sustainable strategies for local news organizations.
Five news outlets—Minnesota Star Tribune, Chicago Public Media, Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, and Long Island’s Newsday—will receive funding in the program’s first round. Each will get a grant to hire a two-year AI fellow, focusing on projects aimed at enhancing business sustainability and integrating AI technology, according to a release from The Lenfest Institute.
The $10 million funding includes $2.5 million from each company, plus an additional $2.5 million in software and enterprise credits from Microsoft and OpenAI.
Jim Friedlich, executive director and CEO of The Lenfest Institute, stated that the fellowships aim to empower local newsrooms to explore and implement AI-driven business solutions that adhere to high ethical standards, while also helping to secure their future. The results will be shared with the broader news industry.
The fellowship program launches as the news industry faces challenges with the rise of AI. Recently, the New York Post and Dow Jones sued Perplexity AI, accusing the startup of “illegally copying” their content by providing users with verbatim or nearly identical responses sourced directly from their articles.
Meanwhile, most readers and viewers are wary of AI-generated news. A June survey by the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford revealed that only 36% of respondents are comfortable with news produced by humans using AI, and that number falls to 19% for news primarily created by AI.
Even OpenAI’s top media executive has expressed doubt about AI-generated news. Varun Shetty, OpenAI’s head of media partnerships, recently stated, “No one wants to read AI-generated news.”