The Open Society AI in Journalism Futures project aims to kick-start a global public conversation that focuses on the long-term, structural implications of AI on the information ecosystem.
The advent of generative AI has demonstrated new capabilities with such obvious and profound potential impact for journalism that AI-driven innovation is now the urgent focus of many newsrooms across the world. But beyond the near-term implications, we believe that AI, and large language models (LLMs) in particular, are likely to bring about significant and lasting structural change to information ecosystems as we know them.
What might an AI-mediated information ecosystem look like 5 to 15 years from now? What are the key driving forces that get us there? How will media be produced and consumed? How will this alter markets? What new power structures might emerge? How might audiences change?
Open Society will host an AI in Journalism Futures convening in Italy on April 15-16, 2024, and are inviting participants to share their visions of an AI-mediated future. We invite you to apply to be a part of this convening to explore these futures with fellow invitees.
Our goal is that the final outcomes of the project—four to five fully developed, robust future scenarios—can help stakeholders, investors, and others working in the digital information ecosystem better understand our possible futures, how to spot any early signals that point to these futures, and thus guide the decisions that need to be taken now to ensure positive impact later.
Eligibility Criteria
We are looking for a diverse set of perspectives from around the globe to participate in AI in Journalism Futures 2024. All applicants should follow the provided guidelines carefully, and we recommend downloading the full guidelines (PDF) at the bottom of this page.
There are no specific eligibility criteria, but we are particularly seeking applications from people who are:
- engaged with the digital information ecosystem
- aware of the new AI capabilities available from AI and their potential to disrupt media
- thinking about or working with the emerging AI-mediated information ecosystem
Successful applicants must commit to attending a two-day workshop on April 15 and 16 in Italy. Travel and expenses will be covered.
Applications must be from individuals, and only one entry per individual will be considered.
Submissions can be made in any language, however we request that English be used if possible. Depending on need, we may be able to offer translation at the workshop.
Guidelines
Applicants should submit their visions of an AI-mediated information ecosystem, which we call “mini-scenarios,” in 300 words or less following the criteria provided in the full application guidelines, below.
Forty applicants will be selected to participate in the convening based on their mini-scenarios submissions and will deepen their mini-scenarios with structured guidance. Those selected will attend a two-day workshop where they will explore, exchange and craft full scenarios in a group model.
Download Files
Download the complete guidelines.