The JournalismAl Innovation Challenge, backed by the Google News Initiative, has chosen 35 news organizations from 22 countries to receive grants of $50,000 or $250,000. These grants will empower them to explore, implement, and share cutting-edge AI technologies.
Grantees hail from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Jordan, Mongolia, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States. Selected organizations will tackle misinformation, experiment with mobile, video, and audio formats, and develop diverse revenue streams and subscription growth strategies.
The program drew 712 applications worldwide, with JournalismAl narrowing down to 303 eligible entries. The Selection Committee evaluated applications based on novelty, feasibility, and potential impact.
Google News Initiative Support
Matt Cooke, Head of Ecosystem Investment Programs, AI & Misinformation, Google News Initiative, emphasized the importance of supporting small and medium-sized news publishers’ AI innovation efforts. In his words,
“We’re excited to build on our six-year partnership with JournalismAl and look forward to learning from the selected projects, which will hopefully inspire journalists and publishers worldwide.”
The JournalismAl Innovation Challenge aims to foster AI-driven innovation in the news industry, addressing key challenges and opportunities. With Google News Initiative’s support, these grants will enable news organizations to experiment, learn, and share best practices, ultimately strengthening the industry.