2026 Summer Content AI Internship – Data & Story Discovery

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2026 Summer Content AI Internship – Data & Story Discovery
USA TODAY Co. / The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ
USA TODAY Co. is seeking a Content AI Intern for Summer 2026 to support our newsroom-wide efforts to deploy artificial intelligence responsibly and effectively in journalism. This 10-week paid internship is designed for students or recent graduates with a strong interest in data journalism, AI-assisted reporting, and story discovery.
The intern will be physically based in The Arizona Republic newsroom in Phoenix, working alongside journalists and editors, while reporting to USA TODAY Co.’s Content AI team. This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of newsroom practice, data reporting, and emerging AI tools at national scale. The intern will also gain visibility into how enterprise-level AI tools are evaluated, governed, and deployed across a large media organization.
What You’ll Do
This internship is focused on hands-on, applied work, not observation. You will:
• Support newsroom efforts to use AI and data tools for story discovery, including identifying trends, anomalies, and emerging story opportunities.
• Assist with data journalism workflows, including sourcing, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting structured and semi-structured data.
• Help test, document, and refine AI-assisted reporting tools and workflows used across USA TODAY Co. newsrooms.
• Collaborate with reporters, editors, and the Content AI team to translate technical insights into newsroom-ready use cases.
• Contribute to pilot projects related to AI, data automation, and newsroom innovation, with an emphasis on practical impact.
• Participate in newsroom meetings, training sessions, and editorial discussions related to AI and data journalism.
Responsibilities:
• Analyze datasets to surface story ideas and support reporting.
• Assist in building or refining repeatable data or AI-assisted workflows.
• Evaluate AI tools (including large language models) for newsroom applications such as discovery, summarization, and research support.
• Clearly document findings, methods, and recommendations for editorial audiences.
• Work independently on assigned projects while collaborating closely with newsroom and Content AI colleagues.
Who Should Apply
We are looking for candidates who are curious, technically capable, and newsroom-minded.
Requirements:
• Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a college or graduate program in journalism, data journalism, computer science, information science, or a related field.
• Demonstrated interest in data journalism and AI in newsrooms.
• Comfort with data journalism fundamentals, including working with datasets and basic analysis.
• Familiarity with AI concepts and tools, including large language models.
• Strong written communication skills and the ability to explain technical ideas clearly.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with Python or similar programming languages for data analysis or automation.
• Coursework or project experience in data reporting, computational journalism, or machine learning.
• Familiarity with spreadsheets, SQL, or data visualization tools.
• Prior newsroom, internship, or reporting experience.
Program Details:
• Duration: 10 weeks (Summer 2026)
• Location: The Arizona Republic newsroom, Phoenix, AZ