Ten selected Ukrainian newsrooms are launching a 12-week accelerator program to develop custom artificial intelligence solutions, marking the next operational phase of a collaborative media initiative backed by OpenAI and the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Building Practical Capabilities Under Wartime Pressures
The program follows an initial masterclass series launched in August that engaged 40 Ukrainian newsrooms. Over the coming three months, the 10 selected publishers will work to build practical AI capabilities tailored to their specific organizational needs, with the goal of accelerating operational innovation.
Participating cohorts will create individual AI projects, present their developments to peer teams, and refine their tools through collaborative feedback. The initiative is scheduled to run until the end of the year, concluding with participating publishers equipped with custom-built AI solutions alongside strategic roadmaps for future integration.
The media outlets participating in the Ukrainian Newsroom AI Catalyst Accelerator include Odeske Zhyttia, OGO.ua, grivna.ua, Kremenchutskyi telehraf, Farvater Skhid, Dnipro.media, ZHAR.INFO, RIA Media, Novyny Donbasu, and Rayon.in.ua.
Institutional Backing and Digital Resilience
Addressing participants during the program’s kickoff, Tom Rubin, Chief of Intellectual Property and Content at OpenAI, emphasized the core purpose of the collaboration.
“The reason why this project is so important to us is that OpenAI’s mission is to create AI for the benefit of humanity,” Rubin said, adding that there is “no greater demonstration of that I’ve seen in my years at OpenAI than what we’re doing together.” He stated that OpenAI is grateful for the opportunity to support the newsrooms with both technology and institutional commitment.
Rubin also delivered a keynote address at WAN-IFRA’s Paris AI Forum earlier in the week, where he outlined the importance of independent journalism, explored how AI can support newsroom operations, and reviewed outcomes from the Ukrainian program’s initial phase.
Geographic Diversity and the Need for Speed
Oksana Brovko, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine (AIRPPU), noted that the participating media outlets were selected to represent the entire country while accounting for the diverse challenges confronting local media.
“All of you know the conditions in which my colleagues in Ukraine and local media work,” Brovko said.
Reflecting on the rapid development of the accelerator—which was first conceived at the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Marseille in June and launched just two months later—Brovko drew a direct parallel to the operating realities faced by Ukrainian media organizations.
“This is very important for us. If you work in crisis times, speed and the ability to make important decisions quickly are part of survival,” she said. Urging her colleagues forward under wartime conditions, she added, “Act, don’t freeze, even though there is a war. We are here to keep the professional motivation across our newsrooms.”
