With AI transforming newsrooms, speeding up content creation, and reshaping audience engagement, how can journalists stay ahead and work smarter?
Learn how to leverage AI in your newsroom in the free online course, Google AI Tools for Journalists: Optimizing Editorial Workflow, Content Creation and Audience Engagement, produced by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas in partnership with the Google News Initiative, running Oct. 20–Nov. 16, 2025.
In this four-week course, you’ll explore how AI-powered tools can simplify newsroom processes, boost investigative reporting, enhance audience engagement, and help you work more efficiently, both individually and collaboratively. Instructors Mariana Alvarado, Cecilia Bazán, and Carolina Potocar will guide you through practical applications while emphasizing responsible AI use and best practices in digital security.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
Distinguish between Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI
Use virtual assistants and chatbots effectively with efficient prompting
Apply AI-powered tools like NotebookLM, Pinpoint, Gemini, and more in your daily workflow
Process large volumes of content and cross-reference information efficiently
Boost audience engagement and understand website performance using News Consumer Insights and Google Analytics
Improve collaborative and remote reporting workflows, especially for journalists in Central America and the Caribbean
Learn from real media cases using AI to optimize newsroom time and processes
This course is open to journalists, editors, freelancers, independent reporters, and newsroom professionals looking to integrate AI into their reporting and storytelling, work more strategically, and expand their impact.
Join the course for FREE and start using AI to work smarter, create better content, and engage your audience more effectively.
This course is also available in Spanish.
This course is asynchronous, so there are no required live events. You can complete activities at your own pace throughout the week.
The course is organized into five modules, combining videos, readings, and discussion forums:
Introduction Module
This module introduces the course structure, workflow, and platform resources. Participants will get a first look at AI concepts and examples of its use in journalism. It also covers guidelines for forum participation, activities, and maximizing course materials, and provides an opportunity to meet the instructors and learn from their experience.
Module 1: AI, Effective Prompting, and Its Responsible and Safe Use
Explore what AI and Generative AI are, how to use them responsibly in journalism, and the importance of effective prompting. Participants will also learn about other AI-powered tools, like Google’s Fact Check Explorer, and practices for safe and responsible AI implementation.
Module 2: New angles and Products for Stories and Investigations with Pinpoint and NotebookLM
Learn to use Pinpoint and NotebookLM to process large amounts of information, find new story angles, and create journalistic products such as audio summaries, videos, timelines, and mind maps. Participants will also practice using integrated chatbots to generate summaries, compare documents, and analyze data.
Module 3: Content Creation with Generative AI
Focus on leveraging tools like Gemini, Imagen, and Veo to enhance creativity and productivity. Participants will explore Deep Research, configure personalized AI assistants to streamline tasks, and use SnthID to identify AI-generated or modified content.
Module 4: Boosting the Business Model with AI
Discover how AI can support media sustainability through audience analysis, strategy optimization, and revenue generation. Participants will learn to use tools like News Consumer Insights (NCI) and Google Analytics, and review case studies of news organizations worldwide using AI for editorial, investigative, and commercial purposes.
Register now for free and gain immediate access to the introduction module materials.
Questions? Contact us at journalismcourses@austin.utexas.edu.
Mariana Alvarado is a trainer for Google News Initiative for Mexico, Central America and Colombia. She is a bilingual journalist and editor with more than 29 years of experience in web and print. She has collaborated with the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, teaching massive online courses on artificial intelligence, citizen security, data journalism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in journalism. She is a Media Viability Ambassador for DW Akademie and co-founder of the Network for Diversity in Latin American Journalism. She was a Google News Lab Teaching Fellow for Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, Colombia and the Caribbean. She covered migration and the Hispanic community in the U.S. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and research from Florida International University. She was a contributor for Grupo Reforma and Expansión in Mexico; and for the Arizona Daily Star, Orlando Sentinel, La Opinión, and other media outlets in the United States.
See more on her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-alvarado44/
Carolina A. Potocar specializes in digital and audiovisual journalism. She holds a BA in Communication& Journalism (UCA) and completed every course of a MA in International Studies (UTDT). She has more than 10 years of experience in Argentine media outlets such as El Cronista, Grupo América, and Clarín, where she has worked her way up from web and multimedia reporter to editor, production coordinator, and head of digital and video teams. She has also worked as a tactical and strategic mentor for local, hyperlocal, and independent media outlets in Argentina, Peru, and El Salvador, within programs promoted by organizations such as SembraMedia, ADEPA, ICFJ, and Meta. She has taught classes on digital news production and editing at the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) and currently works as a trainer for the Google News Initiative in Latin America.
See more on her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caropotocar/
Cecilia Bazán holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication and Journalism, a Master’s degree in Digital Communication, and a diploma in project management. She is also currently pursuing a Master’s in Management and Organizational Leadership (MBA). With 20 years of experience, she worked as a journalist and multimedia editor for local and regional newsrooms in Argentina, including La Voz and Vía País. Her professional background also includes teaching journalism and new media at higher education institutions like Colegio Universitario Politécnico and Universidad Blas Pascal. Additionally, she has served as a consultant for digital strategy and multimedia content for programs at SembraMedia, the Argentine Association of Journalistic Entities (Adepa), and the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA). Since 2022, she has been a trainer for the Google News Initiative, specializing in audience development and monetization strategies.
See more on her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliabazan/
