AI Research, Ethics and Readiness Internship - Fall 2026

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

You will use generative AI to surface archival content for contemporary use. You will partner with RAD to design and prototype workflows that transform unstructured archival data into structured, discoverable assets. Your work will empower newsroom staff to query historical content for current reporting while ensuring all technical prototypes uphold NPR’s journalistic standards.

You will help us establish standards for the ethical use of artificial intelligence with NPR's archival content as we build a data infrastructure that remains grounded in journalistic ethics. You will prepare digital collections for machine learning and research approaches that pair AI with human editorial judgment and metadata to find new insights from the archive.

• Identify opportunities and build functional prototypes that enable reporters and producers to query historical audio for contemporary reporting
• Assist in the development of  automated workflows to transform unstructured legacy media into a searchable, AI-indexed library
• Contribute to the delivery of a technical blueprint demonstrating how NPR can effectively revitalize dormant audio assets for new podcasts or digital series

• Analyze historical data troves to surface evergreen content opportunities and extract narrative leads that support contemporary reporting
• Evaluate AI outputs and discovery tools for accuracy and bias to ensure technical prototypes maintain archival integrity
• Act as a cross-functional partner between AI Labs and the RAD team to ensure editorial utility in all AI-driven prototypes

• Identify and prepare strategic components of our digital newsmagazine and podcast collections for experimentation with machine learning and generative AI applications
• Assist in the development of effective data structures and preparation methods, documentation, and standards for ethical AI use with archival news content
• Help determine optimal uses of controlled vocabularies in AI workflows with NPR content

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff are defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.

• Demonstrated ability to experiment, evaluate and work with generative AI tools and technologies
• Familiarity with Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques
• Knowledge of archiving and metadata management best practices
• Analytical skills to extract narrative leads and opportunities from historical data
• Familiarity with code repositories and version control systems, such as GitHub
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage projects with attention to detail, and meet deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for drafting technical documentation and presenting research findings
• Collaborative mindset for working effectively in a remote, cross-functional team and responding constructively to professional feedback

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Portfolio Link (Preferred)

• Must be a current student in an accredited degree program or a recent graduate of no more than 12 months from the month of the start of the internship.

• NPR Remote-Permitted: This is a remote-permitted role. This role is based out of our Washington, D.C. office, but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves. You will have the option of working (a) remotely from a location of your choosing within the United States that is supported by NPR; (b) on-site at an NPR facility, based on the availability of desks and approval from NPR; or (c) a combination of both. Regardless of where you choose to work from, you may be expected to travel to other locations from time to time to perform the duties of your position.

• 30-40 hours per week Monday-Friday, during daytime working hours.

• This is a full-time, non-exempt internship.

You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.

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