OpenAI announced the launch of NextGenAI, "a one-of-a-kind consortium with 15 leading research institutions." Among them are renowned American universities, as well as Oxford in England and Sciences Po in France, along with the Boston Children's Hospital and the Boston Public Library. Each of them will benefit from a portion of the $50 million that OpenAI allocates to this initiative, whether in the form of research grants, computing capabilities, or access to its APIs.
As the budget cuts for AI research announced by the new Trump administration have alarmed the scientific community, OpenAI aims to help students, teachers, and researchers to "push the boundaries of knowledge". According to the company, "this initiative is designed not only to fuel the next generation of discoveries but also to prepare the next generation to shape the future of AI."
NextGenAI aims to catalyze scientific advancements at an unprecedented pace by fostering close collaboration between prestigious institutions in the United States and abroad. Among the founding partners, besides OpenAI, are Caltech, the California State University system, Duke University, University of Georgia, Harvard University, Howard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, University of Mississippi, Ohio State University, University of Oxford, Sciences Po, Texas A&M University, as well as the Boston Children's Hospital and the Boston Public Library.
Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, emphasizes:
"The field of AI would not be where it is today without decades of work within the academic community. Continuous collaboration is essential to build AI that benefits everyone. NextGenAI will accelerate research progress and catalyze a new generation of institutions equipped to harness the transformative power of AI."
The first projects ranging from healthcare to education through the digitization of heritage to leverage the consortium's resources are as follows:
- Harvard University and Boston Children's Hospital use OpenAI tools and NextGenAI funding to improve the diagnosis of rare diseases and optimize AI alignment with human values in medical decision-making;
- Duke University leverages AI to advance metascience research by identifying scientific areas where AI can have the greatest impact;
- Texas A&M develops an initiative for generative AI literacy, offering practical training for responsible AI usage in academic settings.
- MIT has access to OpenAI's APIs and computing funding to allow students and researchers to train and refine their own AI models;
- The University of Mississippi explores new ways to integrate AI into education and research to benefit the academic community.
- The Boston Public Library digitizes public domain documents and uses AI to improve their accessibility;
- Oxford University digitizes rare texts from its famous Bodleian Library and uses OpenAI's API to transcribe them, making centuries-old knowledge accessible to researchers worldwide.
This initiative strengthens OpenAI's commitment to education, notably after the launch of ChatGPT Edu in May 2024, a more affordable option for universities. However, it also raises questions about the independence of institutions and the ethical governance of AI.