OpenAI announced on Monday the formation of a consortium called NextGenAI focused on supporting artificial intelligence-assisted research at top universities. NextGenAI's 15 founding academic partners include Harvard, Oxford and MIT, and the company will receive $50 million in research funding, computing funding and API access from OpenAI.
Students, educators and researchers will be eligible for the awards, which will be distributed in the coming months.
OpenAI wrote in a blog post: "This initiative is not only about driving the next generation of discoveries, but also about preparing the next generation to shape the future of artificial intelligence. NextGenAI is designed to support scientists looking for cures, academics discovering new insights, and students mastering AI for the world of tomorrow. [...] As we learn from this initiative, we will explore opportunities to expand its reach and impact."
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has reportedly fired multiple National Science Foundation employees who were handpicked for their expertise in artificial intelligence, threatening the agency's ability to maintain critical AI work.
NextGenAI helps advance critical work in artificial intelligence. However, OpenAI is not entirely neutral in the field of artificial intelligence. The startup presumably hopes that researchers, teachers, and students will gradually become accustomed to using the artificial intelligence products it offers instead of using tools from competitors, including open source alternatives.