The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and OpenAI announced on September 28, 2026, the next phase of the Lenfest AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program. OpenAI is doubling its previous support with a new $5 million commitment, alongside up to $5 million in software credits and engineering support.
PartnershipsOpenAILenfest Institute for Journalism
OpenAI doubles support for Lenfest Institute's AI journalism fellowship program
The program embeds full-time AI technologists within news organizations to develop practical engineering solutions and ethical policies for AI adoption. Over the past two years, participating organizations—including The Philadelphia Inquirer and Chicago Public Media—have used the fellowship to develop tools for archival search, automated transcription, and language translation.
The expanded program aims to scale these innovations into reusable frameworks and technical resources for hundreds of news organizations. The fellowship focuses on using AI to strengthen newsroom functions, such as audience engagement and investigative research, while maintaining editorial integrity and human judgment.
Sources
- The Lenfest Institute grows landmark program with expanded OpenAI support （OpenAI News, 2026-09-28）