The Al Accountability Fellowships is seeking applications to support journalists working on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments' and corporations’ uses of predictive and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, the criminal justice system, hiring, and more.
The Fellowship is designed for reporters from all beats, desks, and formats who want to broaden, deepen, and diversify reporting on artificial intelligence with an accountability lens.
Journalists need to apply with a reporting project they wish to pursue during their Fellowship. They encourage enterprise and accountability projects that use a variety of approaches—including data analysis, records requests, and shoe-leather reporting—to delve into the real-world impact of algorithms on policy, individuals, and communities.
While they welcome projects on a broad range of issues related to the impact of AI in society, this year they are also placing special emphasis on certain topics. They are seeking to support at least one project that examines the intersection of AI and conflict, war, and peace. In partnership with Digital Witness Lab at Princeton University, they are also recruiting one project that focuses on the role the messaging platform WhatsApp plays in influencing public discourse in a particular community. Applicants with reporting projects on these topics are strongly encouraged to apply.
Successful applicants will be expected to join a mandatory 90-minute meeting held every month and to engage with other Fellows in virtual meetings and on the community’s dedicated online platform. They require the sharing of methodologies and lessons learned so each story may serve as a blueprint for other newsrooms pursuing similar projects.
What are the benefits of becoming an AI accountability fellow?
- The opportunity to work on an urgent, underreported issue for a substantial period of time.
- Access to mentors and specialized training opportunities.
- Pro bono legal and public records access support.
- A community of like-minded colleagues that will continue beyond your Fellowship.
- Financial support to cover records requests, travel expenses, data analysis, and stipends.
- The opportunity to find strong collaborators for your project or future projects.
Financial Support
- The Fellows are eligible to receive up to $20,000 divided in three payments. Please include a detailed budget explaining your reporting expenses. You may include a stipend to pay for your time if you are a freelancer. They expect newsrooms to pay for their staff members’ salaries.
- Duration: The Fellowship is expected to start in early September and last through July of 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
- Staff or freelance journalists working on a wide range of platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia.
- Team players with the experience and/or ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders.
- Reporters with a deep interest in how AI impacts the world, and why this issue matters to our global well-being.
- Reporters willing to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as events at schools and universities.
- Reporters can be based anywhere. The Fellowships are remote.
For more information, visit Pulitzer Center. https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/ai-accountability-fellowships
