WAN-IFRA and OpenAI Launch AI Futures Lab to Empower Newsrooms

The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and OpenAI have announced a latest collaborative initiative, the AI Futures Lab, designed to support news organizations in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions move beyond artificial intelligence experimentation and into the development of full-scale, AI-native solutions. This program builds upon WAN-IFRA’s previous work supporting over 140 newsrooms globally in their adoption of AI technologies.

Program Overview

The AI Futures Lab is a six-month program that will support 24 media organizations in designing, developing, and preparing AI-native solutions for deployment. The initiative focuses on aligning these solutions with both editorial and commercial goals, with a particular emphasis on bolstering editorial trust and driving strategic AI initiatives. Participants will work on building scalable AI-native products for both editorial and commercial purposes.

Focus Areas

According to WAN-IFRA’s World Press Trends report, almost 30% of publishers consider their AI workflow implementation to be advanced. However, many still face challenges in leveraging AI for monetization and audience engagement. The AI Futures Lab will specifically address these two areas to help newsrooms achieve sustainable growth in a digital-first landscape.

Collaboration and Support

The program will provide participants with technical mentorship, product coaching, and strategy guidance. Participants will also benefit from an extension of the Newsroom AI Catalyst Development Fund, receiving API credits to utilize OpenAI technology and drive innovation. This collaboration aims to accelerate the development of AI-enabled news experiences.

OpenAI’s Perspective

Tom Rubin, Chief of Intellectual Property and Content at OpenAI, stated, “We’re excited to support the launch of the AI Futures Lab, helping newsrooms across Asia-Pacific and Latin America turn promising ideas into successful AI solutions. Throughout our partnership with WAN-IFRA, we’ve seen news publishers across the world use AI to benefit both their operations and audiences. This new programme will help even more newsrooms take the next step and deploy AI to support high-quality journalism, improve reader experiences, and benefit the industry.” Source

WAN-IFRA’s Vision

Stig Ørskov, WAN-IFRA’s CEO, emphasized the importance of innovation and accountability in the evolving media landscape. “With innovation going hand in hand with transparency and accountability, the news industry is moving rapidly from experimentation and prototypes to real AI-powered products. A core role of WAN-IFRA is to help our members stay at the cutting edge of technological development as they build these new solutions. This collaboration will accelerate the development of AI-enabled news experiences that serve audiences in radically new ways, and we’re excited to spot what innovations emerge.” Source

Program Details

The selection process for participants will be by invitation only, with cohorts expected to begin in May 2026. Source The AI Futures Lab reinforces WAN-IFRA’s commitment to equipping newsrooms with the knowledge and resources needed to produce sustainable journalism and maintain the resilience and trustworthiness of their business models.

Contact Information

For inquiries, please contact Kevin Anderson, Director, Digital Revenue Network, WAN-IFRA, at kevin.anderson@wan-ifra.org.