Co-creating research at The AI, media, and democracy lab: Reflections on the role of academia in collaborations with media partners

This commentary explores academia’s role in co-creating research with media partners, focusing on the distinct roles and challenges that each stakeholder brings to such partnerships. Starting from the perspective of the AI, Media, and Democracy Lab, and building on the Ethical, Legal, and Societal Aspects (ELSA) approach, we share key learnings from 3 years of collaborations with (media) partners. We conclude that navigating dual roles, expectations, output alignment, and a process of knowledge sharing are important requirements for academics and (media) partners to adequately co-create research and insights. We also argue that these key lessons do not always square with how academic research is organized and funded. We underscore that changes in funding structures and the way academic research is assessed can further facilitate the co-creation of research between academic research and projects in the media sector.