IPI’s call for applications to the 2026 Global AI Accelerator for Media is now closed. We thank everyone who took the time to apply. All applicants have undergone a rigorous review, and we congratulate everyone for completing the different stages of the selection process. Our IPI Media Innovation team cannot wait to kick off the first Global AI Accelerator for Media later in March!
We received a record number of 205 applications from media organizations in 62 countries:
Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Perú, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The applications highlight several major needs of global newsrooms facing this moment in the news industry, from navigating AI literacy, safeguards, and product-driven development, to using AI for making sense of fragmented data for user analysis and personalization, product validation, interpreting audience responses or conversations at scale, and delivering content products for low-bandwidth and underserved audiences.
What’s next?
In the next stage, the independent international jury will carefully review each submission and select up to 15 projects to participate in the programme. All applicants will be informed of the results by the end of March. A public announcement of successful newsrooms will be made at a later date.
Selected newsrooms will benefit from up to $14,000 in grants, alongside expert-led training and workshops, personalized advisory services, and access to networks and future sources of support. IPI will work directly with participants to co-create a roadmap for AI adoption that reflects changes in consumer markets and business opportunities and doubles down on security and credibility concerns.
The curriculum will be informed by the needs of the selected organizations and cover the themes of 1) prototyping news products with and for AI, 2) AI tools, ethics and safeguards, 3) AI for audience data and research, 4) AI in distribution and monetization, among other sessions and case study showcases.
The Global AI Accelerator for Media will pick up with the new funding and training cycle at the end of 2026. Follow the IPI Media Innovation Newsletter, The Outlook, to be the first to get the news.
Beyond the accelerator: Participants will join our existing global network of newsrooms experimenting with AI and innovative news products, connect through IPI’s Media Innovators Mentorship, and build formal connections with region-specific partners in computer science, civil society, and technology companies.
In its fifth year, IPI’s innovation programme provides funding, structure and access to networks to help independent media organizations maintain their independence. Through this year’s Global AI Accelerator for Media, we are investing in strategy development and leadership skills while creating measurable pathways to sustainability.
The programme furthers IPI’s commitment to a thriving independent media ecosystem enabled by innovation and new technologies, while upholding human-made journalism as a guarantor of truth. Beyond the accelerator: Participants will join our existing global network of newsrooms experimenting with AI and innovative news products, connect through IPI’s Media Innovators Mentorship, and build formal connections with region-specific partners in computer science, civil society, and technology companies.
The Global AI Accelerator for Media is made possible in partnership with The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
