The AI Upgrade for Journalists: Built by, for, and with Reporters

By Peter Bittner – Co-Founder, The Upgrade AI & Lecturer, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Deadlines haven’t changed—but everything else has.

In just the past year, AI has transformed the way stories can be sourced, structured, and shared. But if you're a working journalist, the flood of new tools likely hasn't felt like help. It’s felt like noise. Many of the loudest voices in the AI conversation are marketers, not media professionals. And much of what’s marketed as “AI for writing” misses the mark entirely when it comes to actual journalism.

That’s why we built the AI Upgrade for Journalists—a hands-on, two-part summer series specifically for reporters, editors, freelancers, and educators who want utility over hype, structure over chaos, and clarity without compromise.

This isn’t theory. It’s not a bootcamp for “creators.” It’s focused, practical training designed to make AI work for your beat, your voice, and your deadlines.

Why Now?

In working with hundreds of journalists and educators through The Upgrade Academy, I’ve seen something remarkable: when AI finally aligns with a journalist’s actual workflow—when a GPT assistant echoes their voice, sharpens their angle, or helps chase down a credible source—the lightbulb moment is real.

So we distilled those insights into two tightly scoped sessions. You’ll walk away with your own functioning AI tools—built in class and ready to deploy.

Session 1: Fast, Reliable Research for Journalists

🗓 Monday, June 24

Speed matters. But so does trust.

In this session, you’ll build a GPT-powered research assistant tailored to your coverage area and style. We’ll show you how to:

• Train an AI assistant using your own archive and reporting voice
• Use AI to suggest better angles, sharper questions, and richer framing
• Prep interviews and verify gaps with a “sparring partner” bot
• Analyze mass document troves to find throughlines and crucial information

You’ll leave with a working prototype that understands your beat and can help you move faster without sacrificing quality.

Session 2: Smarter Research, Beat Monitoring, and Data Analysis

🗓 Monday, July 1

This is where AI meets your writing table—and earns its seat.

We’ll teach you how to:

• Quickly find credible expert sources on any beat
• Monitor your beat without overwhelming yourself with alerts
• Pull patterns from raw data using GPT for Sheets
• Find the one great, human pitch in a sea of AI-generated emails

Learn how to save hours of work getting to the information that you really need to write more thorough stories.

What Makes This Different

• Custom-built for journalism. Not generic AI. Not “creator economy” hacks.
• Real outputs, not theory. You’ll leave with working prototypes.
• Instructor-led by journalists. We’ve worked in newsrooms. We know the stakes.
• Designed for busy professionals. Two sessions. No fluff. High ROI.

Instructors include veteran tech editor Pete Pachal, journalist/photographer Kris Krüg, and myself, bringing a blend of newsroom, teaching, and AI training experience.

What You’ll Walk Away With

• A functioning AI research and writing assistant, tuned to your style and workflow
• Repeatable prompts and ethical guidelines to use AI responsibly
• A set of GPT tools you can actually build, test, and trust
• A growing community of media peers exploring this new terrain with you

Where This All Got Started…

Kris Krüg and I crossed paths through the Google News Initiative accelerator in the fall of 2022. We were both there launching AI upskilling businesses; I brought professorial rigor from my years as a lecturer at UC Berkeley and he brought mind-bending creative tech chops. Right away, we saw the same pattern: journalists were either burned out on AI hype or avoiding it altogether. Neither approach was working.

So we started building for our students—many of them journos themselves. Simple tools for beat reporters. Editor coaching. Workshops rooted in ethics and actual newsroom workflows—no gimmicks, no fluff.

Then Pete Pachal from The Media Copilot came in. You might know him from Fast Company, CoinDesk, Mashable, or Time. He audited a session out of curiosity and never left our orbit, eventually staying on as a collaborator and co-instructor for The AI Upgrade for PR Pros. His lens—part tech realist, part editorial veteran—sharpened everything we were making.

This summer series is our answer to what we keep seeing: thoughtful journalists who want to work smarter with AI, not get steamrolled by it. No silver bullets. Just solid footing.

Tuition & Enrollment

🎟️ Individual Journalist Access: $400

🎓 Group Enrollment / Sponsored Seats: $1,499 for 5 seats

➤ Enroll Now

Have questions about the course?

Drop me a line at [email protected] or reach out directly on LinkedIn.