TORONTO, Oct. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) in partnership with the AI Safety Foundation today launched a new award recognizing exceptional journalism that critically examines the safety implications of artificial intelligence (AI). The new CJF Hinton Award for Excellence in AI Safety Reporting recognizes journalism that not only identifies AI challenges but also explores innovative solutions and pathways to mitigate its risks, advancing public conversation on how AI technologies can be developed and applied responsibly. The prize name reflects Nobelist Geoffrey Hinton's campaign to alert governments and the public to AI's potential threat to humankind.
The winner will receive a $10,000 prize, presented at the CJF's annual Awards ceremony in Toronto.
"Catastrophic risk" refers to rare, extreme events that pose significant threats to human health and safety on a global scale. While AI offers tremendous potential for positive change, responsible development and implementation requires careful attention to safety considerations," says CJF President and executive director Natalie Turvey. "The goal of this award is to promote thoughtful, evidence-based reporting that raises awareness of catastrophic risks associated with AI, foster public understanding and encourage dialogue on creating a safer future for humanity."
Turvey adds: "At a time when AI is advancing faster than our understanding of its risks, quality journalism has never been more critical. While a senior executive at Google, Geoffrey Hinton transformed AI from theory to reality, and now he's leading the conversation about keeping it safe.
"This award recognizes journalists who help Canadians navigate the most consequential technology of our time – understanding not just what AI can do, but what we must do to ensure it serves humanity's best interests."
The award is open to Canadian journalists or teams whose work is published on a national media platform. Submissions will open in December 2025, alongside the CJF's suite of annual awards. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 16, 2026.
Criteria for submissions are as follows:
- Media formats accepted:
- Long-form investigative reporting or series;
- Digital media/multimedia storytelling;
- Podcast;
- Audio reporting (e.g., radio features); and
- Documentary (audio or video).
- Submissions will be evaluated on how the story/series accomplishes the following:
- Provides nuanced, evidence-based reporting on AI safety challenges;
- Explores ethical dilemmas, societal risks and the potential catastrophic risks of AI technologies;
- Investigates and highlights solutions that aim to mitigate risks and enhance AI safety;
- Highlights the necessary AI safeguards to ensure a secure and safe future;
- Demonstrates scientific accuracy and upholds journalistic integrity; and/or
- Promotes public understanding of complex AI safety issues.
For his part, Hinton, now University of Toronto professor emeritus, says: "As AI advances rapidly, we urgently need rigorous reporting that examines its safety risks and explores how to address them. This award highlights the vital role journalists play in advancing the public debate on AI's future."
This award is supported by the AI Safety Foundation and by a generous gift from philanthropists Richard Wernham and Julia West.
About the Canadian Journalism Foundation
Established in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious annual awards and fellowship program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, businesspeople, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.
About the AI Safety Foundation
The AI Safety Foundation increases awareness and scientific understanding of the catastrophic risks of artificial intelligence by advancing education and research in order to ensure a safer future for humanity. One of the flagship initiatives of the Foundation is The Hinton Lectures™, named after Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton, an AISF board member. The lectures are held annually on the topic of AI Safety, delivered by world-leading experts in artificial intelligence. The Foundation is a registered charitable organization.
About Geoffrey Hinton
Geoffrey Hinton, 2024 Nobel Laureate in Physics and often referred to as the "Godfather of AI," is internationally renowned as a pioneer in the field of deep learning as a mode of artificial intelligence. With John J. Hopfield, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks," including his invention of the Boltzmann machine using statistical physics techniques. In 2018, he received the Association for Computing Machinery's A.M. Turing Award, often called the "Nobel Prize in Computing," alongside Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun "for conceptual and engineering breakthroughs that have made deep neural networks a critical component of computing." He is a board member of the AI Safety Foundation
SOURCE The Canadian Journalism Foundation
For more information: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected].
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