OpenAI announces $50 million fund to help nonprofits

OpenAI has announced a $50 million (£39 million) fund to help nonprofit and community organisations implement AI solutions. The fund will support organisations working in education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and community organising, says the company.

The initiative builds on OpenAI's recent 'Nonprofit Jam' events that brought together 1,000 charity leaders to explore AI applications. It also follows recommendations from an independent commission that engaged over 500 nonprofits representing 7 million Americans, as per an official statement.

According to a report by Reuters on the matter, this move comes as OpenAI restructures its corporate framework to balance its nonprofit origins with the need for substantial capital in the competitive AI sector. The company plans to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation while maintaining oversight through its nonprofit parent organisation.  

"AI should help solve humanity's hardest problems," OpenAI stated in the announcement, emphasising the fund aligns with its mission to ensure artificial intelligence benefits society. The company also added that the initiative will support both immediate AI implementation and longer-term community-led research into AI's potential for public good.