OpenAI Introduces a $50M Consortium for AI Research and Education

OpenAI has announced NextGenAI, a new consortium with 15 leading research institutions to accelerate AI-driven breakthroughs in research and education. 

“Excited for this-advancing research and education with AI,” wrote CEO Sam Altman on X. The company is committing $50 million in funding, compute resources, and API access to support universities, libraries, and hospitals using AI.

The blog also shared recent research breakthroughs in AI in universities. 

The Ohio State University is advancing AI in digital health, manufacturing, energy, mobility, and agriculture. Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital are using AI for medical diagnosis of rare diseases and improving AI alignment in healthcare. Duke University is researching metascience to identify where AI can accelerate scientific progress. Texas A&M University is training students in responsible AI use. MIT is providing API access for students to train and fine-tune AI models. Howard University is integrating AI into curricula, teaching, and university operations. The University of Oxford is digitising rare texts in the Bodleian Library. The Boston Public Library is digitising public domain materials to improve accessibility.

NextGenAI reinforces OpenAI’s academic partnerships, following the launch of ChatGPT Edu in May 2024. The initiative will equip institutions with advanced AI tools and ensure the technology benefits students, researchers, and educators worldwide.