WAN-IFRA and Open AI Launch 1.5 Million Dollar Development Fund Connected to Newsroom AI Catalyst Program
The “Prototype Development Fund” is an expansion of our accelerator program “Newsroom AI Catalyst” in partnership with OpenAI. The Newsroom AI Catalyst is designed to help news publishers fast-track their AI adoption and implementation. The 2024-2025 Newsroom AI Catalyst helps 128 newsrooms across Europe, Asia, South Asia, and Latin America to integrate AI-driven solutions.
We remain committed to equipping media organizations with AI resources to enhance efficiency and storytelling. 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 analysis of information and data, and improve the user experience on news platforms. Additionally, it opens the door to innovative formats for delivering news. These advancements also introduce new challenges for journalists, publishers, and society — including the potential proliferation of misinformation, as well as concerns around privacy, copyright, bias, and more. Through the Newsroom AI Catalyst initiative, we aim to drive meaningful AI integration in newsrooms worldwide.
In a joint effort to bring publishers’ AI activities to a sustainable level, WAN-IFRA and OpenAI start a “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 distributed among all participating companies.
“The Newsroom AI Catalyst and Prototype Development Fund provide ideal real-life experimentation and testing opportunities. They allow organisations to explore and benchmark frameworks and practices while sharing solutions with international peers, potentially transforming how newsrooms incorporate AI. Thanks to OpenAI, the AI Catalyst connects technical experts, editorial staff, and business strategists, turning organisational goals into actionable AI strategies. We are excited to collaborate on this program to assist newsrooms in navigating the fast-changing AI landscape,” says Vincent Peyregne, 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”, comments Varun Shetty, Head of Media Partnerships, OpenAI.
For more details, visit https://wan-ifra.org/ai-accelerator/
For more information, please contact:
Rocio Valderrábano
Program Manager
rocio.valderrabano@wan-ifra.org