Tarbell Center for AI Journalism pledges $10 million to fund AI coverage

The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism, a Silicon Valley nonprofit, is pledging $10 million by the end of 2027 to fund mainstream and independent artificial intelligence coverage. This expansion scales up its previous $400,000 in commitments, offering larger grants between $50,000 and $500,000. Initial recipients include NPR's new video podcast Machine Gods, which receives $480,000, and NPR's Power and Influence desk, which receives $250,000 to cover AI's political and regulatory impact.

Evolution of grant funding

• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism plans to fund investigative teams, artificial intelligence verticals at national outlets, and other large-scale initiatives in new and legacy media.
• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is expanding its grant sizes to between $50,000 and $500,000, with potential for multimillion-dollar grants, to support a diverse range of perspectives.
• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism previously committed a total of $400,000 over four years, offering individual reporting grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 to early-career journalists.
• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism pledged $10 million by the end of 2027 to launch an institutional grantmaking fund for mainstream and independent artificial intelligence coverage.

Recent grants to NPR

• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism awarded a $480,000 grant to NPR's new video podcast Machine Gods, hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton.
• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism awarded a $250,000 grant to NPR's Power and Influence desk to expand coverage of how artificial intelligence intersects with politics, money, and power.

Organization background and backing

• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is a Silicon Valley nonprofit close to the artificial intelligence safety movement.
• ▪The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is backed by philanthropic groups including the deep-pocketed nonprofit Coefficient Giving.

Debatable claims

• ▪Concentrating journalism funding in large media outlets does more harm than good
• ▪AI existential risk warnings distract from immediate, real-world harms
• ▪Investigating political influence is the most critical task for AI journalism
• ▪Philanthropic funding from AI safety groups compromises the independence of AI journalism