Introduction Module – AI: Beyond the hype 

Instructors: Aimee Rinehart & Sil Hamilton

A primer on artificial intelligence from simple process automations to generative AI.
This module will cover:

• Why the frenzy about AI now
• What AI technology can do for news, and what it can’t

Watch the video below to learn more about our course!

Please explore the rest of the introductory materials, including the syllabus and recommended readings. Don’t forget to update your profile, and feel free to participate in the Student Lounge – a special forum where you can interact with others who are taking the course.

Our platform is very simple and easy to navigate. You can move to the Introduction module or to any of the four weekly modules by clicking on «Introduction» or «Module 1,» «Module 2,» etc. Leading up to the start date of each module, you’ll see a list of items that will be covered during that week. Once the module begins, you’ll have access to the items.

• Module 1 – AI basics and how AI might help newsrooms (September 25- October 1, 2023)

  Instructor: Aimee Rinehart

  What is AI all about? Aimee Rinehart will discuss the technology and why many journalists are skeptical and even afraid to use it in their newsroom, examples of newsrooms that are trying out and innovating in AI, and how to identify possibilities for automation and AI in your own newsroom. 
  

  This module will cover

  • AI basics
  • Large language models: what they are and the controversies surrounding them
  • AI in action: use cases from newsrooms small and large

  In conversation: Uli Köppen, head of AI + Automation Lab and Co-Lead of BR Data at German Public Broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, on how she’s structured her team, a project that she’s excited about and how to gain newsroom buy in for new workflows and tools

• Module 2

  Module 2 – A Primer on AI Technology (October 2 – 8, 2023)

  Instructor: Sil Hamilton

  But what is generative AI, really? Sil Hamilton will give an overview of the theory and technologies powering modern AI applications, beginning with the dawn of natural language processing in the 1950s and continuing through to the unexpected advances made in the last five years. 

  This module will cover:

  • History of AI: Learning from the successes and failures of seventy years of AI research
  • Fundamentals of text generation
  • Hallucinations and other failure modes
  • Multimodal models: expanding AI technology from text to new mediums

  In conversation: Data journalist Meredith Broussard, associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University, will discuss the danger of misunderstanding the roles machine learning algorithms can play in our modern world.

• Module 3

  Module 3 – Understanding AI in The Newsroom: Benefits and Concerns (October 9 – 15, 2023)

  Instructor: Sil Hamilton

  Knowing where and how AI can help in your newsroom means having a sense of what it is capable of, today. Sil Hamilton will survey products presently available in the market to highlight domains where AI presently brings substantial value — and where it does not, a factor especially important to be aware of in an industry awash in embellishments and overpromises.
   
  This module will cover:

  • The major AI companies in play today and their respective priorities
  • The benefits and complications in developing AI solutions in-house
  • AI ethics basics
  • Warning signs in AI advertising

  In conversation: Ted Benson, Ph. D. in computer science from MIT and founder & CEO of Steamship, a start-up specializing in building and scaling AI agents, will discuss the role AI companies play in the tech industry and beyond.
   
  In conversation: Nick Diakopoulos, associate professor in Communication Studies and Computer Science at Northwestern University and director of the Computational Journalism Lab (CJL), will discuss guidelines and responsible AI in the newsroom.

  • Reporting on AI
  • Identifying opportunities for AI through the news-value chain: newsgathering, production, distribution and business operations
  • Ethical considerations for tool procurement and use
  • Your role in moving the journalism industry forward 
  • The future of news and AI
    

    Module 4

    Module 4 – The time to start with AI is now (October 16 – 22, 2023)

    Instructor: Aimee Rinehart

    Finding the right tool and implementing it in your newsrooms should uphold your standards and support the mission of your organization. Aimee Rinehart will go over the critical questions to ask vendors and developers and how you can help the industry progress in developing solutions and creating ethical guardrails.
     
    This module will cover:

• In conversation: Dalia Hashim at Partnership on AI, AI and Media Integrity Program Lead, will discuss ethical considerations for tool procurement and for newsrooms using AI technology. 

  In conversation: Ernest Kung at the Associated Press on the build or buy question, what newsrooms should think about before implementing a new tool and the new five, free open-source projects for local newsrooms.