Grantees Explore AI and Investigative Tools at San Diego State University

Garance Burke and Serginho Roosblad, journalists behind the Pulitzer Center-supported project Tracked, traveled to San Diego State University (SDSU) to teach students about artificial intelligence and related investigative tools.

“I am so grateful to the Pulitzer Center for providing our students the opportunity to learn from and interact with such established and interesting journalists,” said Temple Northup, director of the School of Journalism and Media Studies at SDSU. “Getting those real-world interactions are so important for opening up the world of possibilities that exist for them post-graduation.”

During a multi-hour workshop held in March 2023, nearly 70 students explored the effects of predictive and surveillance technologies on communities worldwide as reported on by Burke, Roosblad, and the rest of the Associated Press (AP) team.

"It was great to see that they were so engaged and ready to jump into the thorny topic of AI," said Burke.

Roosblad, currently a video producer for the AP’s Global Investigations team, provided tips for students interested in pursuing multimedia projects. Burke, a global investigative journalist at the AP, shared accountability reporting insights gained at the AP and as a 2020 John S. Knight Journalism and Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute Fellow at Stanford University.

“Serghino and [Burke] were amazing,” said Northrup. “We have had a lot of events, and students were engaged so much more than any other guest speakers we have had. It exceeded expectations, and the students were able to gain valuable insights about an area I think many were unfamiliar [with].”

Also in March, San Diego State received a $5 million grant to support research at the James Silberrad Brown Center for Artificial Intelligence and contribute toward its goal of becoming “the country’s leading AI lab.”