OpenAI backs 26 student teams with $10,000 grants and model access
OpenAI has selected the inaugural ChatGPT Futures Class of 2026, naming 26 young people and teams building AI projects in education, research, health, climate, and public services. Each recipient receives a $10,000 grant and access to OpenAI's frontier models to continue their work.
The program targets students and recent graduates from the first university cohort to have ChatGPT available throughout their entire higher education. OpenAI says the group demonstrates how young people use AI beyond study - to build products, conduct research, create tools, and support communities.
Education projects address accessibility and affordability
Several selected projects focus directly on learning. Michelle Lawson, 20, converted computer science explainer videos into a nonprofit with 12,000 members. Shraman Kar, 19, makes learning accessible through videos in dozens of languages.
Crystal Yang, 18, is building audio-first learning games for 200,000 blind and visually impaired students. Fatimah Hussain, 20, and Chloe Hughes, 22, match students with personalized scholarships. Senan Khawaja, 24, and Saeed Naeem, 24, scaled an AI college counselor to students in 190 countries.
These projects address concrete problems in AI for Education - from making content accessible to reducing college affordability barriers.
Research teams apply AI to health, space, and chemistry
Other selected projects tackle scientific challenges. Ayush Noori, 23, works on diagnosing and treating neurological disease. Rishab Jain, 21, focuses on drug development and healthcare.
Seyone Chithrananda, 23, built one of the most widely used AI models for chemistry. Matteo Paz, 19, mapped 1.5 million previously unknown objects in space, while Nolan Koblischke, 25, made more than 100 million galaxy images searchable with AI.
Additional projects include tools for identifying disaster survivors through walls and debris, and a knowledge graph connecting carbon-capture materials research.
Funding reflects uncertainty about AI in higher education
The grants arrive as universities, employers, and policymakers work through how AI should fit into learning, assessment, research, and early-career preparation. OpenAI frames the class as a way to see where AI is heading by observing how the next generation uses it now.
The next phase will determine whether these projects develop into sustainable tools, nonprofits, research programs, or companies with measurable reach beyond the initial grant period.
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