ONA Weekly #519: The AI Tools We’re Using

By on July 10, 2024

ONA24 is Sept. 18–21 in Atlanta. Register for your conference pass today. Heads-up: ONA members get the discounted rate of $460 (30% off) through Aug. 8.

The AI tools we’re using

Members of ONA’s AI Innovator Collaborative recently discussed their favorite AI tools for work and non-work use, including the best use cases and the challenges. Read Paul Cheung’s takeaways from the conversation. 

The Collaborative is a monthly gathering for ONA members who are already using AI in their journalism work. We created this space to facilitate idea sharing and connections with peers. Sign up now to join us for the August meetup.

Special honor for the community builders

Submit your nominations for the 2024 ONA Community Award by Wednesday, July 17. Tell us about the community builders—an individual or a small team—that create inclusive spaces for journalists and enable them to do greater work. 

All active ONA members are eligible to nominate peers for consideration. Honorees are selected from these nominations by an award committee that includes ONA Board members, previous Community Award winners and longtime contributors to ONA.

11 newsrooms to follow on AI use

Journalists from 11 organizations, including regional news outlets, broadcast media and public radio, are joining a new project by Trusting News and ONA to understand the public’s perception of AI use in journalism. The cohort will contribute to research led by Trusting News Assistant Director Lynn Walsh and receive guidance on how to define AI policies and talk to their respective audiences about their approach. 

Here’s the full list of participating newsrooms: 

We look forward to sharing what the group learns from this project. If you want to connect in person and go deeper on how to apply the lessons in your newsroom, join us at ONA24 in Atlanta this Sept. 18-21.

The latest research on AI’s impact

Registration is open for a special presentation with journalist and researcher Felix Simon, happening July 31, 12 p.m. EDT. 

Felix’s February 2024 research paper Artificial Intelligence in the News: How AI Retools, Rationalizes, and Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena reported on news organization’s relationship with—and dependence on—technology organizations, including around AI tools. With AI use evolving so rapidly, join this event to understand what’s changed in the months since that report’s release. We’ll look at a research update as well as host space for Q&A.

Mark your calendar

Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:

What we’re watching in AI tech

Support ONA

There are many ways to help sustain ONA’s mission to drive innovation in digital journalism: