Wan-ifra And Openai Collaborate On $1.5m Fund To Integrate Ai In Newsrooms

The new Fund is an expansion of its Newsroom AI Catalyst programme, an accelerator programme to help news publishers fast-track their AI adoption and implementation in partnership with OpenAI.

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According to the association, the rise of AI, particularly generative AI, presents substantial opportunities for newsrooms and publishers. AI can support content creation and enhancement, enable more in-depth information and data analysis, and improve the user experience on news platforms. It allows for a whole new approach to creating and distributing news in new dynamic modes.

These advancements also introduce new challenges for journalists, publishers, and society, including the potential proliferation of misinformation and concerns around privacy, copyright, bias, and more. The Newsroom AI Catalyst initiative aims to drive meaningful AI integration in newsrooms worldwide.

Wan-Ifra aims to strengthen its service offering to members, equipping news media organisations with AI resources to enhance efficiency and storytelling. In a joint effort to bring publishers' AI activities to a sustainable level, Wan-Ifra and OpenAI launched a "Prototype Development Fund". The Fund includes $1.5m in OpenAI API credits to encourage AI-driven innovation. The credits will be distributed to the participating teams in the global Newsroom AI Catalyst programme. $750K will be earmarked for top-performing newsrooms, and $750K will be distributed among all participating companies.

"The Prototype Development Fund provides ideal real-life opportunity to test new approaches, moving beyond the traditional static formats to create new dynamic, interactive more personalised experiences for the audience. We are excited to collaborate on this programme with OpenAI to assist newsrooms in navigating the fast-changing AI landscape that reshapes our journalism", said Vincent Peyrègne, CEO of Wan-Ifra.

"We're excited to collaborate on the launch of the Prototype Development Fund and to see the new ways journalists, publishers and their audiences can benefit from advanced AI technology. Our work with Wan-Ifra is an important part of our overall strategy to support quality journalism around the world", said Varun Shetty, head of media partnerships at OpenAI.