Key Points
- OpenAI and Microsoft provide up to $10 million in grants to U.S. media outlets to integrate AI technologies into newsrooms.
- Chicago Public Media, Minnesota Star Tribune, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times are the first to receive funding.
- Each media outlet will hire an AI fellow for two years to develop projects that enhance newsroom practices and business sustainability.
- Some media companies have sued OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged content scraping and plagiarism in AI models like ChatGPT.
OpenAI and Microsoft have launched a major initiative to bring artificial intelligence (AI) tools into newsrooms, offering grants totaling up to $10 million to selected U.S. media outlets. The funding will go to Chicago Public Media, the Minnesota Star Tribune, Newsday (Long Island, NY), The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times. Each publication will hire an AI fellow for two years to spearhead the integration of AI technology, focusing on enhancing journalistic practices and improving business sustainability.
Three more media outlets are expected to receive similar grants in a second round. OpenAI and Microsoft contribute $2.5 million in direct financial support, with an additional $2.5 million in software and enterprise credits. The Lenfest Institute of Journalism, which announced the initiative, supports this collaboration.
AI’s role in journalism has been met with skepticism and legal challenges. Some major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Center for Investigative Reporting, and The Intercept, have filed lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing their AI models like ChatGPT of plagiarism and unauthorized use of content for AI training. These lawsuits argue that AI tools scraped content from their websites without permission or compensation.
On the flip side, some companies, such as Condé Nast, have negotiated deals with OpenAI to license their content for AI use, highlighting the evolving relationship between AI and traditional media.
OpenAI appointed Aaron Chatterji as its first chief economist in another development. Chatterji, a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, has a distinguished career, including serving on President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers and President Joe Biden’s Commerce Department. His role will likely focus on the economic implications of AI as the technology becomes more integrated across industries, including media.
