The Al Accountability Fellowships seek to support journalists working on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments' and corporations’ uses of predictive, generative, and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, criminal justice, hiring, and more.

Apply for the 2026-27 AI Fellowship
Frequently Asked Questions

The deadline to apply for the 2026-2027 AI Accountability Fellowships is July 12, 2026.

OVERVIEW

We seek to support journalists and newsrooms that represent the diversity of the communities impacted by AI technologies. The Fellowship is designed for reporters from all beats, desks, and formats who want to broaden, deepen, and diversify reporting on artificial intelligence with an accountability lens.

Journalists need to apply with a reporting project they wish to pursue during their Fellowship. We encourage enterprise and accountability projects that use a variety of approaches—including data analysis, records requests, and shoe-leather reporting—to delve into the real-world impact of algorithms on policy, individuals, and communities.

We welcome projects on a broad range of issues across the AI supply chain. Previous Fellows have reported on a range of in-depth stories: how data labellers may have unknowingly worked for the U.S. military, Big Tech’s playbook for building out data centers, the embedded bias in Europe’s welfare algorithms, how European companies export facial recognition technology to countries with weak regulatory frameworks, and more. Their reporting has prompted new legislation in Brazil, surfaced evidence used in lawsuits, and inspired student investigations in Indonesia and student poets to examine AI accountability.

For the first time this year, the Fellowship will also include funding, mentorship, and training to develop and execute an impact plan for each investigation to reach strategic audiences. This can look like building partnerships with content creators to reach online communities, creating a zine for a local library, or holding multistakeholder discussions with civil society, industry, and government officials.

The 10-month Fellowship will provide journalists up to $25,000 (up to $20,000 for reporting and $5,000 for engagement activities). The funds can be used to pay for records requests, travel expenses, and data analysis. Engagement expenses can include venue rentals, event refreshments, printing costs for photo exhibitions, flyers, etc., and social media ads, among other costs. Freelancers can budget up to ⅓ of the total budget for a stipend. In addition, the Fellows will have access to mentors and relevant training with a group of peers that will help strengthen their reporting projects.

Successful applicants will be expected to join a mandatory 1.5-2 hour meeting held every month, contribute to at least one community call during the Fellowship and to engage with other Fellows in virtual meetings and on the community’s dedicated online platform. They are also encouraged to attend a monthly virtual training session.

We require the sharing of methodologies and lessons learned so each story may serve as a blueprint for other journalists or newsrooms pursuing similar projects.

Here are a few AI Accountability Network projects for inspiration:

TO APPLY, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:

  • A short statement of purpose: how this Fellowship fits in your career path and why you are best positioned to be an Al Accountability Fellow. (500 words)
  • A detailed description of the reporting project you seek to pursue during your Fellowship. Please do not propose general themes, but propose a concrete project that shows some pre-reporting on the subject. A compelling, well-researched project proposal with a reporting plan will help you stand out among hundreds of applicants. (500 words)
  • An engagement plan: what activities you could facilitate to maximize the impact of your project, and to ensure it reaches the audiences who could most benefit from engaging with this reporting.
  • A budget that lays out anticipated costs of the project. Categories may include records requests, software, data analysis, travel and lodging, and stipends. If your budget exceeds the maximum amount provided for this Fellowship ($25,000), please include your other funding sources that will allow you to complete this project.
  • Three examples (links) of your best stories published in the past three years (not necessarily on artificial intelligence).
  • A letter of commitment or interest from a media organization(s) that would publish your story(ies). If you are a staff reporter, a signed letter from your editor or newsroom manager confirming you have their support in applying for the AI Accountability Fellowship. This letter should explicitly state that your newsroom will allocate time for you to participate in the Fellowship activities and the newsroom will support publishing the stories you produce through this Fellowship. It can also include information on why your manager thinks you would be suited for this Fellowship.
  • Three professional references: These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation.
  • A copy of your resume or curriculum vitae.

We encourage proposals from the Global South and from journalists and newsrooms that represent a broad array of social, racial, and ethnic groups and economic backgrounds.

ASK ME ANYTHING

This is a recording of our Ask Me Anything: AI Accountability Fellowships webinar on July 18, 2025. Sign up for this year’s Ask Me Anything on June 11, 2026.

Here are some of the things you can learn from watching this recording: 

  • Hear from Pulitzer Center editors on what we are looking for this year.
  • Get tips from a 2024 AI Accountability Fellow on how to make your application stand out.
  • See the lessons learned from previous cohorts of the AI Accountability Fellowships.
  • Learn about different ways to cut into AI Accountability reporting.
  • See the Q&A with the audience.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is eligible to apply? 

  • Staff or freelance journalists working on a wide range of platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia.
  • Team players with the experience and/or ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders.
  • Reporters with a deep interest in how AI impacts the world, and why this issue matters to our global well-being.
  • Reporters willing to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as events at schools, universities, and public-facing events.
  • Reporters can be based anywhere. The Fellowships are remote.
  • Fellowship communication, meetings, and training will be in English, but Fellows can publish in any language.

What are the benefits of becoming an AI Accountability Fellow?  

  • The opportunity to work on an urgent, underreported issue for a substantial period of time.
  • Access to mentors and specialized training opportunities.
  • Pro bono legal and public records access support.
  • A community of like-minded colleagues that will continue beyond your Fellowship.
  • Financial support to cover records requests, travel expenses, data analysis, and stipends.
  • The opportunity to find strong collaborators for your project or future projects.

How much financial support will Fellows receive?

The Fellows are eligible to receive up to $25,000 divided in three payments. Please include a detailed budget explaining your reporting expenses. You may include a stipend of up to ⅓ of your budget to pay for your time if you are a freelancer. We expect newsrooms to pay for their staff members’ salaries. 

When does the Fellowship start and how long does it last? 

The Fellowship is expected to start in September 2026 and end in July of 2027. 

How detailed should my project proposal be?

Your proposal should demonstrate that you have done pre-reporting on the stories you want to pursue, including hypotheses that guide the work, data sources, and methodology. We want to see that there is an ambitious, coherent, and realistic reporting plan in place.

Is experience reporting on AI issues required? 

More important than experience reporting on AI is a track record of in-depth, nuanced, and impactful reporting on issues that affect the communities you cover. Experience in investigative, data, and/or explanatory reporting is valued.

What is the Pulitzer Center's role in the editorial process?

The Pulitzer Center will coordinate and support the Network, but Fellows and their outlets will have total editorial independence to do their work. Fellows may seek guidance and advice from Pulitzer Center editors as needed.

Will Fellows have access to mentors and training opportunities? 

Yes, Fellows will have access to mentors from the Pulitzer Center network as needed, as well as training on various aspects of AI reporting by university and NGO researchers, legal and public records experts, and journalists. 

Can I apply with my team?

Yes, small teams of journalists are welcome to apply, but we will still need a lead person to be the Fellow. Please explain who is on your team and what their roles are. Team members will be welcome to join training sessions.

Are the collaboration and training aspects of the Fellowship mandatory?

Yes, this is why we approach this initiative as a Fellowship. In the surveys we conducted before launching the program, journalists identified community and training opportunities as important needs. Working and learning with a diverse group of journalists from around the world can illuminate unforeseen connections among stories and strengthen everyone’s projects with new perspectives. If you are pursuing a good story but cannot commit to the requirements of a Fellowship, you can try applying for a regular reporting grant.

I am an editor at a publication and have been asked by a reporter to support their Fellowship application with a letter of commitment. What do I commit to when I host an AI Fellow?

The letter of commitment is crucial to the Fellow’s application. We will ask you for a dedicated editor to help the Fellow deliver their project according to your timelines within the 10-month Fellowship. The newsroom will be responsible for editing and subbing the Fellow’s work, take full legal responsibility for publishing the story, and be responsible for the safety and well-being of the Fellow and any reporting partners during field trips and reporting. 

For staff reporters, this letter should indicate that they will be allocated time to complete their Fellowship deliverables over the 10-month period.

Who funds the Network Fellowships?

The AI Accountability Network Fellowships are funded with the support of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Luminate, Omidyar Network, and individual donors and foundations who support our work more broadly. Other funders may join during 2026/2027.

Is editorial independence guaranteed?

Totally. Without any restrictions.

How should I send my proposal? 

Applications for the 2026-2027 AI Accountability Fellowships are open until July 12, 2026 11:59 pm EDT. The application should be written in English, but your writing samples, letter of commitment, and professional references can be written in other languages.

Can I use AI to help me with my application?

Proposals submitted to the Pulitzer Center are evaluated in part on the applicant's ability to articulate their own ideas—their story concept, their editorial judgment, and their voice as a journalist. We have observed that proposals generated or substantially drafted using large language model (LLM) tools tend to produce fluent but generic prose: flattened language, lack of specificity, and factual errors. These are qualities that work against a strong application and are quickly spotted by our experienced editors. Translation assistance, light proofreading, and writing support are uses we consider compatible with the integrity of the application. LLM-generated substance is not.

Additional questions?

Please contact [email protected].