Media Party is calling for journalists, developers, entrepreneurs and civic hackers to apply to lead sessions at the first-ever event in Chicago from June 8–10. The deadline for workshops and lightning talk proposals is March 31, 2023. The core of Media Party is “media innovation” and this year the conference will focus on the intersection between AI, journalism and democracy.

Some of the themes around this include: generative AI, AI ethics, AI security and privacy. Alongside that focus, we will also explore wider issues in journalism such as the evolving local news ecosystem, misinformation, climate change, product thinking and mental health in a post-pandemic world.

We are looking for speakers and partners from:

• Those in the news media industry who are using or building AI tools

• Speakers and trainers from the technology industry with an interest in solving problems relevant to the media industry and how these technologies impact democracy

• People doing research and experiments in industry, non-profit, and academia

• Major platforms working on artificial intelligence issues and are interested in improving how societies are informed

• Serendipity: Media Party is keen to open the door to new people of all kinds with related interests

How can you get involved?

Workshops: A two hour hands-on workshop to teach a new skill, methodology, tool, or process. The learnings for attendees should be clear and compelling. Click here.

Lightning talks: Showcase your work in 5 minutes: What was the problem? What was the solution? What happened afterward? Click here.

Hackathon: The two-day hackathon will be focused on AI for news: opportunities and challenges in a synthetic world. Bring your idea or join a team. Click here.

Keynotes: Invitation only. If you are interested in making a compelling keynote please contact us.

Selected projects will get a free ticket.

Registration will open March 20th, 2023.

Media Party Chicago is powered by Hacks/Hackers and supported by Knight Foundation, International Center For Journalists and the Knight Lab at Northwestern University, among other partners and organizations.

Please contact us or check mediaparty.info and stay tuned.

If you are based in Chicago, please let us know at mariano@hackshackers.com.