OpenAI Academy will invest in developers and organizations utilizing AI technology to solve challenging problems and accelerate economic growth in low- and middle-income countries.

The Academy will also ensure developers in diverse communities worldwide have access to AI technology, training and technical resources to enhance their efforts. 

The company says it is looking to invest in the development of local AI talent to fuel growth and innovation and meet community needs in sectors like education, finance, agriculture and healthcare. 

The Academy will provide training and technical guidance from OpenAI experts, distribute $1 million in API credits to increase access to OpenAI models to build applications, create a global network of developers for collaboration, and hold contests and incubators in partnership with philanthropists to invest in organizations creating innovation.

"Supporting those who understand the unique cultures, economies and social dynamics of their communities will help ensure that AI applications are tailored to meet local needs. Developers and organizations are key to making artificial intelligence more widely accessible and enabling people around the world – regardless of where they live or what language they speak – to use the technology to solve hard problems," the company wrote in a statement. 

THE LARGER TREND

Earlier this year, the OpenAI Startup Fund and Arianna Huffington's behavioral-change technology platform, Thrive Global, announced the launch of a new company, Thrive AI Health, to expand access to personalized behavioral change health coaching via generative AI. 

In April, OpenAI and Moderna announced the pair expanded their partnership to offer the pharma giant's employees access to ChatGPT Enterprise, a platform allowing customizable GPTs to be developed for a specific purpose.  

Through ChatGPT Enterprise, users can create GPTs by beginning a conversation with ChatGPT, then providing extra knowledge on a subject or giving it instructions.

Last year, OpenAI partnered with the Tools Competition to launch the OpenAI Learning Impact Prize, which eventually awarded Slovenian ed tech company Hopalai its OpenAI prize for creating KOBI, an app to help dyslexic individuals learn to read.