Poynter and Hacks/Hackers: distributing AI ethics training across the year

What the article is about

In January 2026, the Poynter Institute and Hacks/Hackers announced a partnership to integrate AI ethics and literacy training into journalism events throughout the year. The partnership replaces Poynter’s previous model of organizing a single annual AI ethics summit with year-round programming distributed across Hacks/Hackers events.

Context

Hacks/Hackers runs journalism and technology meetups in major cities internationally, along with the annual AI x Journalism Summit. In 2026, the summit moved to Baltimore on May 13–14 and was expected to grow from approximately 200 to 300 participants. Through the partnership, Poynter serves as the ethics, governance, and literacy partner: its staff designs and delivers workshops and seminars at Hacks/Hackers events rather than building separate standalone programs.

The stated rationale is practical. As Poynter’s MediaWise director put it: “AI isn’t standing still, and neither can our approach to ethics.” Significant changes in AI capabilities and newsroom adoption have been happening at intervals of weeks or months. A once-yearly summit cannot adequately address the questions journalists face throughout the year as tools change under them.

Key takeaway

The shift from annual summit to distributed training reflects a specific diagnosis: journalists are already using AI under deadline pressure, and abstract principles presented once a year do not translate into better daily decisions. Poynter’s workshops are designed to move ethics guidance into the context of actual newsroom workflows — addressing questions about transparency, source verification, bias, and audience trust at the point where journalists encounter them.

For news organizations building their own AI training programs, the structure offers a practical alternative to expensive standalone events: partner with an ethics organization that already has content and pair it with events where your staff already goes. Distributing training across the calendar also keeps the content current in a way that a single annual curriculum cannot.

Who it is useful for

News organization leaders and training directors evaluating how to build ongoing AI literacy among their staff, and journalists responsible for developing or implementing AI use policies within their organizations.