SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI has launched NextGenAI, a groundbreaking consortium that unites 15 premier research institutions from around the world to harness the power of artificial intelligence for accelerating research breakthroughs and transforming education. With a robust commitment of $50 million in research grants, compute resources, and API access, OpenAI is fueling the initiative to empower students, educators, and researchers at the forefront of innovation.
This consortium, which includes renowned partners such as Caltech, the California State University system, Duke University, the University of Georgia, Harvard University, Howard University, MIT, the University of Michigan, the University of Mississippi, The Ohio State University, the University of Oxford, Sciences Po, Texas A&M University, as well as Boston Children’s Hospital, the Boston Public Library, and OpenAI itself, is designed to accelerate progress by fostering collaboration beyond what any single institution could achieve. By pooling their diverse expertise, NextGenAI is set to drive forward initiatives that range from transforming healthcare and reimagining educational methodologies to digitizing historical texts and enhancing AI literacy.
For example, researchers at The Ohio State University are leveraging AI to push boundaries in digital health, advanced therapeutics, and manufacturing, among other fields, while Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital are harnessing OpenAI’s tools and funding to streamline diagnoses for rare diseases and align AI more closely with human values in medical decision-making. Duke University is pioneering metascience research to pinpoint where AI can make the most significant impact, and Texas A&M is propelling its Generative AI Literacy Initiative, which provides vital hands-on training to foster responsible AI use. MIT’s students and faculty will benefit from direct access to OpenAI’s API and compute funding to develop and fine-tune bespoke AI models, and Howard University is innovating by integrating AI into curricula and operational improvements.
The University of Oxford is taking a multifaceted approach by deploying AI for broad research and operational tasks while its historic Bodleian Library digitizes rare texts using OpenAI’s API, rendering centuries-old knowledge accessible to modern scholars. At the same time, the University of Mississippi and the Boston Public Library are exploring new ways to integrate AI into their core missions of education, research, and public service.
This initiative not only bridges the gap between academia and industry but also reinforces the essential role of collaborative efforts in advancing AI for societal benefit. Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer at OpenAI, emphasized, “The field of AI wouldn’t be where it is today without decades of academic work. Continued collaboration is vital 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.”
NextGenAI builds on OpenAI’s earlier commitment to education, following the successful launch of ChatGPT Edu in May 2024, which provided university-wide access to ChatGPT. With its focus on supporting researchers, scholars, and students alike, the consortium aims to drive innovation that will redefine what is possible in research and education.
