Deadline: 11-Aug-25
The Pulitzer Center is now accepting applications for its fourth cohort (2025-2026) of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Accountability Fellowships.
Through the AI Accountability Fellowships, the Pulitzer Center aims to support in-depth, high-impact reporting projects that document and explain the opportunities, harms, and regulatory and labor issues surrounding AI systems. The Fellowship program provides selected journalists with financial support, a community of peers, mentorship, and training to pursue in-depth reporting projects that interrogate how AI systems are funded, built, and deployed by corporations, governments, and other powerful actors.
While they welcome projects on a broad range of issues, this year they are also placing special emphasis on certain topics. They are seeking to support at least two projects on transparency and governance in relation to AI. This includes projects that follow the money across borders; shed light on opaque and harmful AI supply chains; or report on legislation, business practices, and organizations that exacerbate the lack of accountability and transparency of AI systems.
Benefits
- The opportunity to work on an urgent, underreported issue for a substantial period of time.
- Access to mentors and specialized training opportunities.
- Pro bono legal and public records access support.
- A community of like-minded colleagues that will continue beyond your Fellowship.
- Financial support to cover records requests, travel expenses, data analysis, and stipends.
- The opportunity to find strong collaborators for your project or future projects.
Funding Information
- The 10-month Fellowship will provide journalists up to $20,000 to pursue their reporting project.
Eligibility Criteria
- They encourage proposals from the Global South and from journalists and newsrooms that represent a broad array of social, racial, ethnic, and underrepresented groups, and economic backgrounds.
- Staff or freelance journalists working on a wide range of platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia.
- Team players with the experience and/or ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders.
- Reporters with a deep interest in how AI impacts the world, and why this issue matters to their global well-being.
- Reporters willing to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as events at schools, universities, and public-facing events.
- Reporters can be based anywhere. The Fellowships are remote.
Application Requirements
- A short statement of purpose: how this Fellowship fits in your career path and why you are best positioned to be an Al Accountability Fellow. (500 words)
- A detailed description of the reporting project you seek to pursue during your Fellowship. Please do not propose general themes, but propose a concrete project that shows some pre-reporting on the subject. A compelling, well-researched project proposal with a reporting plan will help you stand out among dozens of applicants. (500 words)
- A budget that lays out anticipated costs of the project. Categories may include records requests, software, data analysis, travel and lodging, and stipends. If your budget exceeds the maximum amount provided for this fellowship, please include your other funding sources that will allow you to complete this project.
- Three examples (links) of your best stories published in the past three years (not necessarily on artificial intelligence).
- A letter of commitment or interest from a media organization(s) that would publish your story(ies). If you are a staff reporter, a signed letter from your editor or newsroom manager confirming you have their support in applying for the AI Accountability Fellowship. This letter should explicitly state that your newsroom will allocate time for you to participate in the Fellowship activities and the newsroom will support publishing the stories you produce through this Fellowship. It can also include information on why your manager thinks you would be suited for this Fellowship.
- Three professional references: These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation.
- A copy of your resume or curriculum vitae.
For more information, visit Pulitzer Center.
