A Global Accelerator Programme.
The Newsroom AI Catalyst is an accelerator programme open to 152 newsrooms across Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, South Asia and Australia/New Zealand. It combines expert guidance with hands-on experience, equipping newsroom stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to drive strategic AI initiatives. On completion, participants will leave the programme with a prototype and a clear roadmap to scale up their artificial intelligence operations in the newsroom. A recent extension of the programme is the “Prototype Development Fund“.
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
Participating companies will be divided into cohorts. Each cohort will form a three-month “accelerator.” Two accelerator units will be available in these regions: Europe, Asia Pacific, South Asia and Latin America. An additional cohort will follow later in 2025 in Australia and New Zealand.
Each accelerator comprises weekly modules, including learning sessions, hands-on workshops, and a prototyping hackathon. The programme will start with an in-person workshop to kick-start the AI prototyping project.
The Catalyst includes ten modules:
- Module 1: The AI News Landscape: Essentials and Opportunities
- Module 2: Use Cases for AI in Journalism
- Module 3: Building an AI Strategy
- Module 4: Data-Driven News Production
- Module 5: AI for Audience Insights and Engagement
- Module 6: AI-Powered Content Generation
- Module 7: Workflow Integration and Change Management
- Module 8: Measuring Success and ROI for AI Initiatives
- Module 9: Monetization and Sustainability with AI
- Module 10: The Future of Journalism with AI
The programme includes bi-weekly coaching, mentoring, and peer-led sessions to support skills and prototype development.
ELIGIBILITY
Participation in the programme is exclusively available to WAN-IFRA members.
Your company must be based in Europe, Asia Pacific, South Asia, Latin America or Australia/New Zealand.
➽ Read more about the eligibility criteria.
➽ Find out more about WAN-IFRA membership.
APPLICATIONS
The first accelerator was launched in Europe in September 2024, followed by Asia Pacific in November 2024. Latin America and South Asia will follow in 2025. Australia/New Zealand starts in the fall of 2025.
The different calls for applications in all regions will be published on this website as soon as they open. If you already want to express general interest, please apply here.
Would you like to sign up or find out more about the programme?
Contact Rocío Valderrábano
Program Manager
WAN-IFRA
rocio.valderrabano@wan-ifra.org
TIMELINE 2024-2025
2024
September to November: Completing the first accelerator in Europe.
November: Starting the first accelerator in Asia Pacific.
December: Evaluation and preparation of the next accelerators.
2025
January: Call for applications in South Asia and Latin America. The second accelerator starts in Europe.
February: Selection and notification of participants.
March to May: Completing the second accelerator in Europe and the first in South Asia and Latin America.
June: Call for applications for a second accelerator in Asia Pacific, South Asia and Latin America.
July: Call for applications for accelerator in Australia/New Zealand
August: Selection and notification of participants.
September to November: Completing the second accelerator in Asia Pacific, South Asia and Latin America / Start of the accelerator in Australia/New Zealand.
WAN-IFRA and Open AI Launch 1.5 Million Dollar Development Fund
The “Prototype Development Fund” is an expansion of the “Newsroom AI Catalyst”. We remain committed to equipping media organizations 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 start the “Prototype Development Fund”. The fund includes $1.5 million 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.
If you want to learn more, click here.