SAN FRANCISCO — The Lenfest Institute for Journalism has announced a groundbreaking partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft to foster innovation in local journalism. This new initiative, the Lenfest Institute AI Collaborative and Fellowship program, aims to support news organizations in exploring and implementing AI-driven solutions to enhance business sustainability and drive innovation in local news. Through this collaboration, five major media outlets—Chicago Public Media, Newsday, The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times—will receive funding, enterprise credits, and the opportunity to hire an AI fellow to spearhead AI projects within their organizations. These fellows will focus on a range of AI applications, from public data analysis to audience engagement, with the goal of creating new tools and products that can serve both journalists and readers.
OpenAI and Microsoft’s commitment to the project includes $5 million in funding and enterprise credits, a significant investment that underscores the importance of supporting local journalism in an era where AI is poised to reshape how news is researched, produced, and distributed. The selected news organizations will collaborate on AI-driven projects such as transcription, summarization, content discovery, and the creation of conversational search platforms for news archives.
Through these efforts, the Lenfest Institute and its partners aim to empower smaller, independent publishers by providing them with access to cutting-edge AI tools that can help them thrive in the rapidly evolving media landscape. These initiatives are part of a broader effort to support the future of independent local journalism and ensure its continued relevance in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
This partnership is a response to the challenges facing the local journalism industry, which has struggled to adapt to digital transformations. By integrating AI into their operations, these media outlets are setting an example for the industry, showing how AI can be leveraged to not only sustain but also grow and enhance local news organizations.
As Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, emphasized, “We need local journalism to inform and educate citizens, expose wrongdoing, and encourage civic engagement.” The Lenfest AI Fellowship will play a pivotal role in developing innovative solutions that help news organizations create new products, discover additional revenue streams, and secure a sustainable future.
