THE PROGRAMME

The 11-Week Fellowship

An executive programme built for senior journalists who want to lead the global conversation on AI — not follow it. Combining expert-led seminars, applied labs, and a real-world capstone project, the ERAI Fellowship is the most structured AI journalism programme available to working media professionals.

OVERVIEW

What the Fellowship
Delivers

The ERAI Fellowship equips journalists and media experts with the skills and understanding needed to report responsibly on artificial intelligence. With the rapid rise of AI, it is essential for journalists to stay informed about its ethical and safety implications. The fellowship does exactly this — combining expert-led instruction, applied learning, and real-world practice to strengthen public-interest journalism around AI.

Live Online Seminars

Eight expert-led sessions, 90 minutes each. Non-technical, journalism-first understanding of AI systems, governance, and global impact. Accessible from anywhere in the world, designed for working journalists with professional commitments.

Applied Labs

Each seminar is paired with a structured lab of multiple graded assignments. Scenario-based newsroom exercises, critical analysis tasks focused on verification, accountability, and ethics — and opportunities to practise framing, questioning, and investigation.

Capstone Project

A Graded Capstone Project — a real-life, public-interest AI challenge. The ERAI Fellowship uses continuous assessment across labs and capstone, not one-time exams. Outstanding work may be shortlisted for the G20 Summit in Miami.

CURRICULUM

The 11-Week Journey – Week by Week

Foundations of AI

JAMES WILSON — AI ETHICIST & LEAD GEN AI ARCHITECT, CAPGEMINI

Go beyond the hype to understand how AI systems are built, where their limits lie, and why these foundations matter for journalism. This session connects the technical building blocks of AI to real-world questions of trust, governance, and risk — equipping journalists to report on AI with clarity, scepticism, and confidence.

Machine Learning & Data Ethics

DR. SARAH CHEN — HEAD OF AI GOVERNANCE

Understanding dataset bias, algorithmic fairness, and accountability in data-driven decision making. Learn how algorithms shape newsroom distribution and public perception.

Generative AI & Misinformation

MARCUS VANE — DIGITAL FORENSICS LEAD

Investigating deepfakes, synthetic media, and automated disinformation networks. Verification strategies for investigative newsrooms.

AI Policy & Regulation

ELENA ROSTOVA — GLOBAL TECH POLICY FELLOW

Decoding global legislation including the EU AI Act, US Executive Orders, and global governance frameworks shaping artificial intelligence.

AI in Investigative Journalism

DAVID MILLER — SENIOR EDITOR

Using AI tools for large-scale document analysis, OSINT investigations, and data extraction while maintaining strict journalistic integrity.

Algorithmic Bias & Diversity

AMARA OKONJO — AI RESEARCHER

Analyzing structural bias in predictive systems and how newsrooms can report on discrimination in AI deployment.

Corporate AI Governance

LISA THORNTON — TECH ETHICS CONSULTANT

Holding Big Tech accountable: investigating corporate AI disclosures, auditing models, and evaluating corporate ethics claims.

Capstone Development Lab

FELLOWSHIP MENTOR TEAM

One-on-one lab support to refine public-interest capstone project drafts, methodology, and editorial framing.

AI, Security & Warfare

GEN. ROBERT TAYLOR — CYBERSECURITY EXPERT

Reporting on autonomous weapons, national security risks, and AI's role in modern conflict environments.

Future Horizons of AI

DR. ARJUN PATEL — FUTURIST & RESEARCHER

Exploring AGI, quantum computing intersections, and long-term societal impacts of emerging frontier models.

Capstone Defense & Showcase

G20 ADVISORY BOARD & FACULTY

Presentation of final Capstone Projects to faculty, industry leaders, and selection panel for G20 Summit shortlisting.

THE FELLOW JOURNEY

From Application to Alumni - In Five Stages

Programme: Weeks 1–11

The weekly rhythm — seminar, lab, reflection.
Peer collaboration. Faculty contact protocol
and iterative progress tracking.

Onboarding

Welcome sequence. LMS access.
Cohort introduction. Pre-programme
preparation materials and orientation.

Discovery & Application

Eligibility criteria and vetting logic for Senior
Media Professional. Application timeline and
what to expect at each communication step.

In Five Stages Graphic Placeholder
Capstone & Certification

G20 Miami presentation criteria. Certification
designation. What graduation looks like and
what it means professionally.

Alumni Network

Post-graduation access. Alumni portal.
Advisory roles. Ongoing access to the
ERAI community and resources.

CAREER IMPACT

How the Fellowship Advances Your Career

The ERAI Fellowship is not a credential for its own sake. It is a deliberate investment in the capability, authority, and professional positioning of journalists who want to lead on the most important beat in global media. Here is what changes when you complete it.

Fellowship Graduate

A Credential That Signals Real Depth

AI governance, algorithmic bias, synthetic media, and policy accountability.

Ownership of a Beat Most Journalists Cannot Cover

Completing the ERAI Fellowship signals to editors, institutions, and sources.

Access to a Global Network of AI-Literate Journalists

ERAI alumni form a growing community of senior media professionals across 12+ countries

A Platform at the G20 Summit in Miami

Outstanding capstone work may be shortlisted for presentation at the G20 Summit.

Leadership Within Your Newsroom

Fellows return to their newsrooms as the most informed voice on AI in the room.

SKILLS YOU WILL GAIN

What You Leave With

The ERAI Fellowship is an applied programme. Every skill listed here is practised through graded lab assignments, not just discussed in seminar. By graduation, these are capabilities you have demonstrated in your work, not just concepts you have encountered.

AI Systems Literacy
AI Ethics & Bias Investigation
Governance & Policy Reporting
Synthetic Media Detection
FOI & Procurement Data Methods
Data-Led AI Accountability Reporting
AI Misinformation Verification
Digital Security for Journalists
Public-Interest AI Storytelling
Global South AI Context
AI Governance Frameworks
Audience-Trusted AI Reporting
APPLICATIONS CLOSED FOR COHORT 3

Cohort 3 Begins 19 September 2026

Cohort 3 applications are now closed. If you missed this intake, register your interest now and be first to hear when Cohort 3 opens. Senior journalists only.

View Programme Register for Cohort 3
WHAT SETS ERAI APART

This Is Not a Course.
This Is a Fellowship.

The ERAI Fellowship is designed differently from every AI literacy programme available to journalists today. It is not a passive online course with video modules and a certificate at the end. It is a structured, expert-led executive fellowship with graded applied work, a global peer cohort, and a real-world capstone pathway that connects journalists to policy at the highest level.

Expert Faculty, Not Content Libraries

Every session is led live by a practising expert: an AI ethicist, a governance architect, a senior journalist with a real newsroom. Fellows engage directly with the people who build, govern, and scrutinise AI globally.

Applied Labs, Not Quizzes

Every seminar is followed by a graded lab that translates concepts directly into journalism practice. Scenario-based exercises, verification tasks, FOI requests, and investigation frameworks. Fellows are assessed on their ability to do the journalism, not recall the theory.

A Global Cohort of Senior Journalists

Fellows are not students. They are senior media professionals from 12+ countries who bring deep editorial experience to the programme. The peer learning is as valuable as the faculty instruction, and the alumni network endures long after graduation.

Built for Global South Representation

The ERAI Fellowship is deliberate about geographic and contextual diversity. The curriculum, faculty, and fellow selection all reflect the reality that AI does not affect all regions equally. The fellowship trains journalists to understand and report on that unevenness.

A Capstone with Real-World Exposure

The fellowship culminates in a Graded Capstone Project assessed against real-world journalism standards. Outstanding work may be shortlisted for the G20 Summit in Miami 2026. That is not a token opportunity.

Designed for Working Journalists

The ERAI Fellowship is structured for journalists who are still doing the job. Sessions are live and online, labs are structured for professional schedules, and the cohort model means fellows are learning alongside peers who understand the constraints of active newsroom life.