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OpenAI continues to make waves in the media industry, and their latest partnership with the American Journalism Project (AJP) is no exception. AJP, a non-profit organization that has funded over 40 media organizations across the U.S., will provide OpenAI with access to news articles and multimedia for training their content. In return, AJP will receive financial support and developer credits from OpenAI.
AJP has funded several prominent newsrooms, including “The City” based in New York City, Chalkbeat, and The Marshall Project. This new partnership comes shortly after OpenAI’s deal with the Associated Press to scan articles for AI model training.
As part of the partnership, OpenAI will provide $5 million in cash to AJP and $5 million worth of OpenAI API credits to some of AJP’s portfolio companies. This will enable them to develop applications utilizing OpenAI’s technologies, such as ChatGPT and the GPT-3.5 and 4 models.
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OpenAI’s focus on local newsrooms is part of its wider mission to promote the responsible use of AI and provide support for the most innovative AI-based approaches to journalism. This commitment highlights their commitment to support the essential work of local newspapers by helping them stay competitive in the new digital age.
Through its three-year partnership with AJP, OpenAI will provide funding to support local newsrooms and will also work in collaboration with AJP to create an “Innovation Collaborative” featuring the latest AI research, technology and best practices. OpenAI will also announce a series of discussion groups and hackathon events, which will allow it to further tap into the vast network of AI experts in the U.S. and Canada to assist with and advise on AI-related initiatives undertaken by local newsrooms.
The commitment from OpenAI is likely to further fuel the renewed interest in local news, which has been on the decline in recent years, as legacy newsrooms struggle to compete with the wide array of digital news outlets. Local newsrooms are expected to benefit greatly from OpenAI’s investment, which could provide much needed resources and training for these outlets to adopt and implement advanced AI technology.
OpenAI’s partnership with AJP is the latest in a series of steps the company has taken to support local journalism. Earlier, it had made a substantial investment in The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom focused on investigative and data-driven reports.
OpenAI’s collaboration with AJP is a welcome step in the right direction and can act as a catalyzing force for the future of local journalism. With AI tools making their way into newsrooms across the country, OpenAI’s investment could help level the playing field for legacy outlets facing stiff competition from digital startups.
