Pulitzer Center Update January 30, 2025
Reflections on the Inaugural AI Spotlight Series
More than eight months ago, investigative reporter and Pulitzer Center grantee Karen Hao came to the Center with an idea for a training series for journalists: The AI Spotlight Series. Understanding that reporting on artificial intelligence would affect nearly every desk in the industry, Hao believed journalists should be allowed a free and accessible way to learn how to report on the technology, its history, and its societal impact.
A pillar of The AI Spotlight Series is understanding AI and its implications on humans, government, and culture. Under the guidance of Pulitzer Center Executive Editor Marina Walker Guevara and then-AI Network Manager Boyoung Lim, and with financial support from the MacArthur Foundation, Notre Dame IBM Ethics Lab, and the Ford Foundation, Hao brought her vision to life.
The Pulitzer Center was a natural partner for the Series. The Center is an organization with a deep-seated belief in the strength of building community and collaboration among journalists while also growing their capacity to report on our world's current and future challenges.
When reflecting on her decision to partner with the Pulitzer Center, Hao says, “It was obvious to me that the Pulitzer Center was the best place to host this initiative! The mission and existing infrastructure of the AI Accountability Network; Pulitzer Center's global reach and emphasis on journalists from the Global South and marginalized backgrounds; and most of all, the wonderful staff and community of journalists it brings together. I couldn't imagine a better partner.”
With staff and grantees based around the world, we have worked with longtime Pulitzer Center partner organizations like Code for Africa and El Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP) to reach journalists across various regions and contexts with AI Spotlight resources.
Our mission and model reinforced the need for accessible multilingual sessions and training, with sessions organized for audiences in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Southeast Asia. These efforts were supported by the Pulitzer Center’s global staff and worked toward our goal of keeping the courses accessible and feasible for journalists worldwide.
The AI Spotlight Series brought on expert coaches Gabriel Geiger and Lam Thuy Vo, two former AI Accountability Network Fellows, and editors Tom Simonite, of The Washington Post, and Gideon Lichfield. Three training modules were designed with curriculums to meet journalists and editors where they are in their AI accountability reporting journey.
We set a goal to train 1,000 journalists in the first year of the Series. Within six months, we surpassed that goal.
Since launching in April 2024, the AI Spotlight Series has hosted 12 online events, training over 1,600 journalists and editors from 122 countries. A total of 290 journalists provided tangible feedback to help the coaches refine the curriculum.
The Series' "Introduction to Reporting on AI" module is designed as a crash course that is only 90 minutes long. It’s tailored to reporters with little to no knowledge of how to report on AI, encompassing everything from the history to the technical terms. Of the three courses offered, "Introduction to Reporting on AI" is the only course open to the public and only requires registration.
Of the 278 people who took our anonymous survey after attending the webinar, 96% of survey respondents said they found the course beneficial. When reflecting on the webinar, 88% of participants agreed that it improved their ability to report on AI. The webinars drew journalists from 112 countries, with listeners primarily from the United States, Nigeria, and India. Training sessions were offered in various time zones worldwide, and several introductory trainings had simultaneous interpretations in French and Spanish.
“Great reminders about capturing and centering human stories; remembering that we're in the business of reporting, not previewing; situating findings within larger context.”
—"Introduction to Reporting on AI" attendee
"An Editor’s Guide to AI" is designed for newsroom editors to help them understand how to navigate the current and future AI story landscape. The course focuses on the various types of AI stories an editor may encounter, how to avoid the hype, and tips for navigating the common pitfalls of reporting on AI.
Designed for both interactivity and small-group Q&As, this course requires an application. For the "Editor’s Guide to AI," 92% of respondents said they would recommend the course to a friend or a colleague. In addition, 92% also agreed that the course improved their capacity as editors to oversee AI technologies. Our "Editor’s Guide to AI" session drew editors from 28 countries, primarily from the United States, Mexico, and India.
“I appreciate the framework you shared for thinking about stories. That is something practical I can share with others in my newsroom. The exercise of thinking through questions to ask reporters who are pitching was both effective and efficient.”
—"Editor’s Guide to AI" attendee
"Reporting on AI Intensive" is the most rigorous training course in the AI Spotlight Series and is held over three days. The course totals six hours in a small-group meeting, with engaging assignments and reading between class days. The Intensive requires an application and expects that journalists come with experience covering technology and are seeking to go deeper and build the necessary skills for AI accountability reporting. Over the last six months, "Reporting on AI Intensive" drew attendees from 80 countries, most coming from the United States, Argentina, and India.
“I loved the direct and approachable way information was presented during the sessions. The coaches were super friendly and it showed that everyone was very comfortable during the classes.”
—"Reporting on AI Intensive" attendee
Taking it beyond the virtual world, the coaches brought elements of the training to larger journalism spaces, including international conferences, such as the Gabo Festival, the Online News Association, and the African Investigative Journalism Conference. The AI Spotlight coaches have led nine in-person adjacent events, bringing information from the introductory course to panels and workshops around the world.
As we monitor the early impact of the trainings, we are beginning to see how journalists take what they have learned and bring it into their existing beats. One of our early intro session attendees, Indulekha Aravind, a journalist in India, wrote, “I attended the ("Introduction to Reporting on AI") session. The discussion prompted me to look into water use by data centers in India, which are located in water-stressed metropolises. Though data centers are a nascent segment in India, it is set to expand, and this seemed a good time to explore the question. While I'm an experienced features writer, I am not a tech reporter or someone who's written about AI before, and I definitely would not have taken up this issue if it had not been for your session.”
You can read Aravind’s reporting on water use by data centers in India here.
Stories like this remind us of the significance of meeting journalists where they are in their reporting.
Our team has learned how important it is to implement and learn from the feedback of the AI Spotlight Series attendees over the past six months. Surveying our audience consistently and allowing anonymity showed the coaches a desire for interactivity early in the sessions.
This allowed our coaches to improve the community building and activities throughout the three-day "Reporting on AI Intensive." It also allowed our coaches to find innovative ways to engage webinar attendees in the "Introduction to Reporting on AI" session by allowing listeners to weigh on various questions and material via the Zoom chat.
The value of giving attendees space to provide feedback has been a pillar of the training series. It has also reinforced the need for small but meaningful improvements, such as offering translated surveys for multilingual training. The surveys have shown us the strengths and weaknesses of running virtual multilingual events.
In 2025, we will continue in-person and virtual training sessions and work alongside the coaches to bring the curriculum to the public. The AI Spotlight Series continues expanding, refining, and growing our community. We are learning how to connect journalists working in this field with one another and with resources to support them.
We invite you to visit our page to learn about the trainings we will offer this year. See you in class!
