As Big Tech's Warnings Make Headlines, Meet the New AI Accountability Fellows

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Nine journalists from five continents are joining the fifth cohort of the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Fellowship, launching at the end of September.

Over the next 10 months, they will investigate the impact of the AI supply chain on their communities: the rapid buildout of physical infrastructure, the models that governments are using to make decisions, and surveillance technologies. Together, they will learn and share methodologies for auditing algorithms, building sources, gathering documents, and incorporating OSINT techniques.

The 2026-27 Fellows are:

• Reem Almasri, a freelance journalist based in Jordan, reporting for 7iber.
• Daniela Amaya Rueda, a freelance journalist based in Colombia, reporting for El Espectador.
• Naiara Bellio, a freelance journalist based in Spain, reporting for infoLibre.
• Mawa Kresna, an editor for Project Multatuli, based in Indonesia.
• Adam Mahoney, a national climate and environment reporter at Capital B News, based in the U.S.
• Collins Mtika, the founding director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi (CIJM), based in Malawi.
• Purity Mukami, a freelance journalist from Kenya, reporting for Africa Uncensored.
• Sukanya Shantha, a senior assistant editor at The Wire, based in India.
• Effie Webb, a reporter for The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, based in the U.K.

At a time when Big Tech is capturing media through grantmaking and pushing inevitability and extinction narratives, supporting independent journalism about the real and current impact of AI on our societies has never been more important.

“This is an impressive cohort of journalists with a strong track record of rigorous, independent, and consequential reporting,” said Pulitzer Center Executive Editor Marina Walker Guevara. “We are honored to support them as they pursue some of the most important stories of our time.”

For the first time this year, each of our Fellows will also develop and carry out an impact plan in addition to their investigation, using lessons from our Impact Initiative. They, and partners, will bring their investigative findings in different formats to the communities and policymakers who need to know about them, exhibiting the Pulitzer Center’s full model of combining breakthrough journalism and audience engagement to inspire action. 

“Rigorous investigation is what makes AI accountability journalism possible, and pairing it with an impact plan lets us go further. We want to work in partnership with the communities who need these findings most. This year, every Fellow will ask from the outset who can use this reporting, from affected communities to policymakers, and what routes connect it to them. Through this they can turn their findings into knowledge that is built to circulate and can be taught, debated, and acted upon,” said Pulitzer Center Chief Impact Officer Flora Pereira.

We believe working collaboratively is key in AI accountability. The Fellows will join our previous cohort of AI Fellows at Mozilla Festival in Barcelona October 28-30, 2026, to build connections and share tips. Ahead of the festival, they will also take part in workshops with civil society partners to discuss ways to work together to hold accountable the people and companies behind AI systems.

The AI Accountability Fellowship provides each journalist with up to $25,000 in financial support, training, a community of peers, and mentorship to follow the money and hold powerful actors accountable. By the end of the fellowship, Fellows will pass on their knowledge by writing up their reporting methodologies for future AI reporters, adding to our growing library.

Our former Fellows have become leaders in the AI accountability field. Work from previous Fellows have led to new legislation in Brazil; surfaced evidence used in lawsuits; and inspired student investigations in Indonesia and student poets to examine AI accountability.

The AI Accountability Network is funded with the support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Humanity AI, Ford Foundation, Luminate, Omidyar Network, Park Foundation, and individual donors and foundations who support our work more broadly.

If you are a journalist or editor interested in joining this network, please visit our AI Accountability Network page for more information or email [email protected]. If you would like to learn more about AI reporting, please see our AI Spotlight Series curriculum (also available in Spanish, Portuguese and bahasa Indonesia) or join one of our regular virtual training sessions. 

Homepage photo caption: A server rack with supercomputer hardware is shown in a data center. The AI boom has led to a rush for data centers, but the mega facilities are facing pushback from communities around the world. Read more here. Image by Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock. 2023.