Microsoft and OpenAI Collaboration Offers Grants for News Organizations to Leverage Generative AI

The ongoing debate regarding generative AI’s use of original content from news outlets has intensified recently. Notably, in December 2023, The New York Times took legal action against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging that both companies utilized their articles for training AI models without securing permission.

While this legal matter is still in progress, Microsoft and OpenAI have announced a collaborative effort to finance a new initiative spearheaded by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. This program aims to assist news organizations in effectively leveraging generative AI for their operational strategies.

According to a press release from Microsoft, both companies are each investing $2.5 million into the program, paired with an additional $2.5 million each in software credits. The inaugural participants in this initiative will include prominent news organizations such as Chicago Public Media, Newsday (Long Island, NY), The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times.

These selected organizations will receive grants enabling them to hire an “AI fellow”for a duration of two years, who will support the implementation of AI technologies within their operations.

The grants also encompass access to credits for OpenAI and Microsoft Azure, empowering these news outlets to develop and implement AI solutions tailored for local news reporting. Furthermore, the organizations will work collaboratively, exchanging insights on their projects, and extending the findings to a broader network of news enterprises.

Each participating organization will pursue its own unique AI initiatives. For instance, The Minnesota Star Tribune is set to focus on AI-driven summarization, analysis, and content discovery for its reports and audience. Meanwhile, The Seattle Times plans to integrate AI to enhance the productivity of its sales teams, and The Philadelphia Inquirer aims to establish a conversational interface for exploring its archival news content.

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