Google conducted a global survey last year about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by news organisations which reflected that most respondents felt an urgent need for newsrooms to get educated and trained in machine learning (ML) and other AI-powered technologies so that journalists can explore its potential.

The survey pointed out a clear message - newsrooms saw improving AI literacy as vital to change the culture and improve understanding of new tools and systems. To fulfil this demand, Google announced a free course produced by JournalismAI in collaboration with VRT News and the Google News Initiative earlier this month.

The trio has built a course Introduction to Machine Learning with the help of journalists, for journalists. The course, available in 17 different languages, will answer questions such as: What is machine learning? How do you train a machine learning model? What can journalists and news organisations do with it, and why is it important to use it responsibly?

The course complements Google’s recently launched collaborative experiment, as well as their effort to highlight profiles and experiments that show the transformative potential of AI and ML in shaping the journalist, and the journalism, of the future.

Furthermore, at the end of the course, participants will find a list of recommended resources, produced by journalism and technology experts across the world, that have been instrumental in designing this course - Introduction to Machine Learning - and will help journalists dive even deeper in the world of AI and automation.

It is a certificate course available on the Google News Initiative Training Center, along with several other courses to help you find, verify and tell news stories online.