While OpenAI is in trouble in Australia for breaking into the Medicare statistics reporting portal, in the US the bot developer is increasing contributions to AI and local news fellowships.

With its programme funding doubled with an extra US$10 million (A$14.5 million), the Lenfest Institute says it will be able to consider new applicants in local TV news and statewide public service journalism.

OpenAI’s support of Lenfest’s AI collaborative and fellowship programme has seen AI fellows placed in 11 local newsrooms since October 2024, mainly in metro newsrooms such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Banner, and Minnesota Star Tribune.

Lenfest says it plans to keep the same approach of embedding full-time engineering staff in local newsrooms for two years, but will expand reach beyond metro papers to consider fellowships for local TV news and statewide public service journalism.

Lenfest executive director and chief executive Jim Friedlich is quoted by NiemanLab’s Andrew Deck that a key success factor seems is that the fellows “are hired locally, report locally, and are viewed as part of their local team”, rather than being Lenfest employees, “and certainly not Microsoft or OpenAI employees”.

Deck says the first cohort was funded with US$10 million from OpenAI and Microsoft, each contributing equal amounts of cash and credits. Microsoft has not yet committed to renewing its commitment, which started (and ends) six months later.

OpenAI chief of intellectual property and content Tom Rubin says funding supports people and implementation, with credits allowing for experimentation and making technology accessible: “The goal is to create lasting capability for news organizations: deeper research, stronger reporting, richer user experiences, improved workflows, and more sustainable businesses.”

Pictured: Sonali Verma, Lenfest AI collaborative and fellowship amplification lead (photo Lenfest Institute).