OpenAI Foundation commits $250m to study AI's effect on employment
The OpenAI Foundation will invest $250 million in research to understand how AI reshapes work and employment. The money will fund grants, partnerships, and direct research into how employers and communities can prepare for shifts caused by AI adoption.
The foundation said the research will focus on three areas: building independent systems to measure and forecast AI's economic impact; supporting workers and communities through transitions; and developing new approaches to how economies distribute gains from AI broadly.
Why current approaches fall short
Existing research tends to focus narrowly on what tasks AI can automate. The foundation said this misses the bigger picture. Economic effects depend on how AI tasks are bundled into actual jobs and whether AI replaces workers or creates roles where humans and AI work together.
Better labour market data and new ways of measuring employment are needed to understand these shifts. Economies will require stronger infrastructure to support workers through change.
Worker agency and meaning
The foundation wants to fund approaches that give workers-especially those underserved by current systems-more control over how AI gets deployed in their roles. It also plans to study when work provides meaning and purpose, and how more people can access those conditions.
The foundation will pilot new models for taxation and public wealth funds, with initial initiatives announced later this year.
OpenAI founder Sam Altman has previously supported research into universal basic income, citing studies showing that working fewer hours with guaranteed income improved mental health and wellbeing.
For HR leaders: Understanding how AI affects jobs in your organization requires more than automation audits. Explore AI for Human Resources to learn how to manage workforce transitions and AI Learning Path for CHROs for strategic workforce planning in an AI-driven environment.
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