Director of News + AI Innovation Lab

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and seven (7) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

The Knight Center for the Future of News at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication works to envision and accelerate a stronger future for the news industry. The Center operates as a public-interest research and development hub, combining applied research, experimentation, product development, training and knowledge-sharing.

The Knight Center’s work spans three interconnected areas:
Journalism x Civics, Business Growth and Emerging Technology Innovation.

The Director of the News + AI Innovation Lab leads the launch and ongoing development of the Center's AI initiative: building tools, programs and partnerships that help the journalism industry navigate the AI era responsibly.

Working with the rest of the Knight Center team, this position owns product vision, prioritization and delivery for initiatives emerging from research and experimentation. We seek someone experienced in launching real products, comfortable with ambiguity and able to operate at the intersection of journalism, research and technology. This is not a teaching position, but it will interface with students and faculty.

• Establish and shape the News + AI Innovation Lab, including its scope, partnerships and public presence
• Guide the implementation of a Principled Innovation approach to values-driven, responsible use of technology, including AI
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Collaboration and Learning and other Knight Center staff, faculty and fellows – this hands-on product development role leads AI product work but operates as part of a function-led team
• Lead product vision, prioritization and road mapping across initiatives
• Manage iteration, testing and user feedback
• Support implementation, long-term planning and partner onboarding

• 10+ years of experience working in or with news organizations and academic institutions, or related experience in product development or digital innovation
• Experience naming, launching or building a lab, studio or initiative from the ground up
• Demonstrated experience building and launching products or tools from concept to implementation
• Familiarity with responsible AI or ethical technology frameworks
• Strong cross-functional communication skills
• Working knowledge of AI tools and applied technology in professional settings

The Knight Center for the Future of News at Arizona State University works to envision and accelerate a stronger future for the news industry. The Center operates as a public-interest research and development hub, combining applied research, experimentation, product development, training and knowledge-sharing.

The Cronkite School is widely recognized as the nation's premier mass communication school, ranked No. 1 by the Broadcast Education Association for three consecutive years. Rooted in the time-honored values that characterize its namesake—accuracy, responsibility, integrity, the school fosters excellence and ethics among students as they master the professional skills required to succeed in the digital media world of today and tomorrow.

Learn more .edu.

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution…