Hacks/Hackers Receives Renewed Support to Advance AI Innovation in Journalism Programming

Hacks/Hackers will expand our popular series of webinars, talks and hackathons aimed at accelerating civic innovation through technologies like generative AI, thanks to renewed support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Over the next two years, this increased funding will help Hacks/Hackers bring together journalists, technologists, civic leaders, researchers and other stakeholders to prototype AI-powered tools and develop practical solutions to today’s media and information challenges.

“With this technology advancing so quickly, along with rising threats to democracy, we are bringing people together across all sectors to find ethical ways to apply AI to inform communities,” said Burt Herman, co-founder of Hacks/Hackers. “AI has been used mostly so far in experimentation and for internal newsroom tools, but we are eager to use this support from the MacArthur Foundation to push the boundaries of what media products can be and how AI can create meaningful ways for people to connect with each other."

With this new round of support from the Foundation, Hacks/Hackers will design and offer an updated series of AI-focused hackathons and workshops that will build on successful Hacks/Hackers events over the past year, which included:

• Hacks/Hackers AI x Journalism Summit: Over 200 people from major U.S. newsrooms, local news outlets, tech companies and product teams gathered in Baltimore in May 2025 for two days of hands-on workshops, real-world case studies and collaborative sessions exploring how AI can strengthen reporting, streamline workflows, create more impactful stories and build innovative new products.
• Journalism House at SXSW: In March 2025, more than one hundred journalists, news product managers, researchers and others gathered at the Texas Tribune to learn about tools, tactics and strategies for actively participating in shaping the role of AI in journalism.
• AI + Local News Hackathon at the University of Minnesota: In collaboration with the Minnesota Journalism Center, Hacks/Hackers convened a two-day hackathon in late January 2025 where more than 60 local journalists, journalism and engineering students, technologists and community members from across Minnesota developed, designed and prototyped tools to build better local news coverage.
• AI & Journalism Symposium: Over two days in November 2024, nearly 150 journalists, media leaders, technologists and others attended this London, UK event to share and develop best AI practices and develop AI strategies for safeguarding media integrity and public trust, ensuring a stronger, sustainable future for journalism.

As well, over the past year more than one hundred people attended our “AI Real Talk” webinars that explored the potential impact of AI on the 2024 presidential elections, and how AI might help combat news fatigue.

“We’re proud that the MacArthur Foundation recognizes what Hacks/Hackers has long believed: strengthening the information ecosystem takes all of us,” said Paul Cheung, Strategic Advisor at Hacks/Hackers. “With this support, we can deepen our cross-sector collaborations — bringing together journalists, technologists, community organizers, and researchers to generate new ideas and solutions that respond to real-world challenges.”

Initiatives supported by this new round of support will begin rolling out in summer 2025. Newsrooms and journalists interested in upcoming programs can sign up for updates at hackshackers.com.

For updates about our upcoming webinars, talks and hackathons, subscribe to the Hacks/Hackers newsletter.