BOSTON—The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) Data Solutions team, whose goal is to develop open-source data and AI products that respond to challenges faced by civil society, has released its first product designed for the public good: JournaPilot–an AI-powered tool that streamlines the process of creating social media content for journalists and communicators.

“In an increasingly digitally-enabled world, we believe that data science and artificial intelligence (AI) can be tremendous forces for public good,” said Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. “By allowing reporters and editors to focus on the critical role of sourcing and reporting comprehensive news–instead of spending countless hours creating content for social media–JournaPilot offers the gift of time. Empowering journalists to work efficiently is paramount for creating an equitable, just, and informed society.”

JournaPilot uses two large language models (LLMs)–the most popular of which is ChatGPT–to assist users with truncating longer news stories into shorter social media posts for Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. In addition to providing summary text, the application also generates hashtags, adds emojis, and shortens hyperlinks. Once posts are created, users can copy and paste to edit them, or send the posts directly to their preferred social media account to publish on their platforms.

“Particularly for independent journalists and smaller news organizations with limited resources, AI and data solutions have the potential to revolutionize workflow, boosting their ability to make high-quality journalism accessible for mass audiences,” said Hazem Mahmoud, Director of PJMF’s Data Solutions program.

The Data Solutions program at PJMF was established in January 2023 to respond to the critical need for data solutions for civil society organizations and initiatives. After working alongside dozens of tech-inspired nonprofits through other programmatic efforts, the Foundation recognized that many institutions lack access to the personnel, infrastructure, or strategic capacity to build AI-driven products, and established an in-house team of technical experts and engineers to help meet the needs of those challenges. In addition to creating public good AI and data products, the team is committed to design principles that ensure transparent, intentional, and deliberate engagement with stakeholders, including focusing on people and communities instead of profit, creating equitable solutions, and publishing open-source.

With the launch of JournaPilot, the Foundation strengthens its commitment to the ethical design, development, and deployment of new technological tools that contribute to a more equitable, sustainable future.

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. PJMF works in partnership with public, private and social institutions to drive progress on our most pressing challenges, including digital health, climate change, broad digital access, and data maturity in the social sector.