OpenAI launches Academy for news organizations | Keryc
OpenAI presents a new Academy designed for news teams: a learning hub with courses, practical case studies and open resources to help journalists, editors and managers use artificial intelligence in a responsible and useful way. Can AI be a real ally in the newsroom? The Academy bets yes, offering hands-on training and real-world examples.
What is OpenAI Academy for news organizations
It's a learning hub launched in collaboration with American Journalism Project and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. It was created to give concrete tools to newsrooms that already use — or are evaluating — integrating AI into their daily work.
The Academy includes on-demand training, practical guides and open-source projects so teams can adapt solutions to their context. It was presented at the AI and Journalism Summit, where media, academic and tech leaders gathered.
What it brings at launch
On-demand training, with a course called AI Essentials for Journalists that explains basic concepts and use cases applicable to everyday newsroom routines.
Modules for technical and product teams that explore advanced tools and tailored solutions for business needs.
Practical case studies focused on investigative background work, translation and multilingual reporting, data analysis and production efficiencies.
Open-source projects and shared resources to make it easier for other newsrooms to adapt them.
Guidance on responsible uses, including examples to develop internal policies and governance frameworks.
Why it matters for newsrooms
AI is already changing how many newsrooms work: it speeds up research tasks, helps process data and makes translation and verification easier. But it also raises doubts about reliability, trust and jobs. The Academy aims to deliver immediate value: save time on operational tasks so teams can focus on high-impact journalism.
Think about it like this: instead of spending hours turning interview notes into a draft, you could use tools to get a clean outline and spend your time adding context and verification. Or use an AI to flag possible factual inconsistencies in a data set before you publish.
Also, OpenAI already collaborates with publishers and global associations and says that over 800 million weekly ChatGPT users access information from trusted media. That means learning to use AI well isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity to stay relevant and sustainable.
Concerns and how the Academy addresses them
What about accuracy? What about ethics? What about jobs? OpenAI says the Academy was designed with those questions in mind. It offers guides for internal policies, material on transparency and concrete examples to minimize errors and misunderstandings. It doesn’t promise magic fixes, but it does provide practical paths to implement controls and review processes.
For example, you’ll find templates for review workflows and suggestions on how to label AI-assisted content so readers know what to expect. That helps build trust while you test and scale tools.
What's next and how your team can participate
Over the next year they plan to expand courses, add case studies and live programs, and work with more organizations and industry partners. If you work in a newsroom, the promise is clear: practical, adaptable resources, not just theory.
If you’ve never tried an AI tool in the newsroom, the Academy seems like a good starting point. If you already use AI, it offers templates and open projects to scale more safely.
In the end, this is less about futuristic tech and more about equipping the people who tell stories with better tools. The real question is: is your newsroom ready to take advantage of this responsibly?
