AI Engineer

Summary

The Philadelphia Inquirer is investigating ways to ethically adopt Generative AI technology to improve access to and recall from our extensive, 195-year-old archive. We are hiring for an AI Engineer to work within our Product, Design and Engineering team, who will conceive of, prototype, and guide the development of systems and tools to assist our newsroom.

You’ll report to our Chief Product and Technology Officer, and work alongside senior product managers in editorial tools and storytelling, reader experience, revenue, and data and APIs. You’ll research different large language models (LLMs) and commercially-available tools, develop prototypes and proofs-of-concept tooling, identify issues and solutions to gathering archival content and other material into various LLMs, and build understanding and excitement among your colleagues in the tools you’ve helped create.

About Us

The Philadelphia Inquirer is a public benefit corporation owned by the nonprofit Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Together, we’re at the center of a critical mission to create a lasting future for ambitious, engaging, and useful local journalism. We’re doing this, in part, by deepening our connection with the communities we serve. Our integrated digital and print platforms are the Philadelphia region’s largest media network. We’re passionate about building a sustainable model for indispensable local journalism, and we take pride in finding diverse, dynamic, and talented individuals to help push our team forward

What You’ll Do

• Apply LLM technology to portions of The Inquirer’s archive - works both published and unpublished, text and imagery - as well as other journalistic sources like recorded video, live streams, and podcasts
• Projects may include internal search tools across our print archive; automated tagging and description of photography; identifying key moments in recorded media (video / audio); and mapping disparate data sources to identify patterns and possible correlations
• Define and build data pipelines that power these prototypes, with assistance from our Data Engineering team
• With our Product Managers, Designers and Engineers, develop internal tools for reporters and editors to search and retrieve material from our archive
• Partner with key stakeholders to refine prototypes and develop additional features
• Collaborate on relevant projects with a group of industry partners at similar publications
• Present results of your work in industry events and publications
• Provide advice on quality and fitness-to-task for various LLMs and commercial tools
  
  

Who We’re Looking For

• An undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Geospatial Analysis, Environmental Modeling, similar fields of study, or equivalent experience.
• 3 years of technical consulting, systems engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Fluency in Python and JavaScript.
• Familiarity with the principles of machine learning fundamentals such as natural language processing and computer vision.
• Experience building and delivering prototypes on top of a commercial AI platform or model, including considerations for data security, data privacy, and secure development
• Proactively identifies opportunities for maximizing business value through leveraging commercial AI models (OpenAI, Claude, LLaMa, etc.).
• Experience evaluating commercial software, particularly Software-as-a-Service platforms, for fit, flexibility and cost.
• Curious and self-motivated; solves problems end-to-end, and is willing to pick up whatever knowledge is missing.
• A humble attitude and an eagerness to help others with empathy.
• Manages multiple personal workstreams at once, including context switching and rigorous prioritization.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, particularly when relaying technical information to a non-technical audience
• A tireless belief in the value of local journalism and a desire to support The Inquirer’s mission to be the indispensable source of local news and information serving the diverse communities of the Philadelphia region.
  
  

The Philadelphia Inquirer is committed to attracting a diverse group of interested people to join our team, so please err on the side of applying even if you’re unsure if you meet all the qualifications. We encourage anyone to apply who shares our passion for indispensable journalism and our drive to create a sustainable business model to support it.

As an equal opportunity employer, The Inquirer is building an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. We especially encourage people from marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds to apply, including people of color, women, people from the LGBTQIA community, and people with disabilities.