Programs

Audience at the 2026 AI x Journalism Summit in Baltimore.

Hacks/Hackers brings journalists and technologists together around emerging technology and what it means for news. Right now that mostly means AI, but it won't always: We keep an eye on what's coming next and how it could change the way people find trusted information. Our programs are how we do that work, and each one has a way to get involved, whether you want to take part, partner with us, sponsor the work or bring your newsroom in.

Field Building and Learning

Summits, forums, partner events and webinars where the community learns from each other and shapes what comes next.

We bring people together at our flagship AI x Journalism Summit, at topical forums and partner events with organizations like The New York Times and Arizona State University, and through the AI Real Talk webinar series that runs between them. These are where practitioners show what they are building, test ideas and work out what's coming next for media and journalism.

Participants on the floor with laptops at a workshop, leaning in over each other's screens — Hands-on workshop session at the 2026 AI x Journalism Summit in Baltimore.

"I have been to a lot of conferences in 20 years in journalism, but never to one as useful as Hacks/Hackers' AI x Journalism Summit 2026. Mind genuinely blown."

— Alyssa Rosenberg, Education Director, Allbritton Journalism Institute

Get involved: Pitch a session, propose a forum topic, or team up with us to host an event. See upcoming events or get in touch.

Customized Training and Coaching

Training, workshops and coaching built around where your team actually is.

We work with individuals and teams from "we've only used the free AI chat" through to building their own tools, across editorial and operations. That might be a single workshop, a multi-session curriculum, one-on-one coaching for leaders, or a multi-month advising engagement where we mentor you as you implement new technologies.

Get involved: Tell us what you need and we'll scope a program. Reach out.

Newsroom AI Lab

We work directly with newsrooms from scoping your needs to implementation.

Launched in 2025 with support from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the Lab pairs technical advisors with a newsroom for a focused engagement. We help define what the newsroom actually needs, build it together, and leave behind the prototypes, playbooks and skills to keep going.

"This partnership has given me a framework for thinking about AI deployment — focusing first on what problems we want to solve, and only then whether AI would be useful in solving them."

— Jim Malewitz, Managing Editor, Wisconsin Watch

Get involved: Bring your newsroom or sponsor a newsroom that can't yet fund the work itself. Funders can underwrite several newsrooms to go through the Lab together. Learn more or talk to us.

Hackathons

Engaging sprints for rapid prototyping in a day or weekend.

We run hackathons with newsrooms, universities and technology companies. Recent ones include events with The Atlantic and Infactory, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Minnesota. People who had never written code have walked out of ours with a working product.

Attendees in small-group conversation at tables during a hackathon, a colorful mural on the wall behind them — Collaboration at the 2026 hackathon with The Atlantic and Infactory in East Palo Alto.

Get involved: Partner with us to host a hackathon, or sponsor one to put your tools and users together with our community. Start a conversation.

Fiscal Sponsorship

A home for early-stage projects that share our mission.

Sponsored projects operate under our 501(c)(3) status, which lets them take tax-deductible donations and grants while drawing on our administrative support and network.

Get involved: See what we offer and how to apply on the fiscal sponsorship page.