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ChatGPT logo. / OpenAI

OpenAI will support 14 research and pilot projects independently led by universities, research institutions, and policy organizations around the world, aimed at expanding economic opportunity from AI development and strengthening societal resilience. In South Korea, Yonsei University is among those selected.

OpenAI announced on the 18th that it will provide a total of $1 million in research funding and up to $1 million worth of OpenAI API credits across all 14 projects, based in the U.S., the European Union, Brazil, Singapore, and South Korea.

The 14 projects address two core questions: how AI can broaden economic opportunity, and how society can build resilience as AI capabilities advance. In the economic opportunity area, projects will study ways to ensure workers, businesses, and communities broadly share in the productivity gains and economic benefits AI brings. In the social resilience area, projects will examine AI safety, cross-border information sharing, and responsible use of AI in public policy.

In South Korea, Yonsei University will carry out a project on "Democratic Accountability Using AI." The university plans to use AI to analyze National Assembly meeting records and assess how faithfully the Assembly checks and oversees the government, with the analysis independently verified by multiple researchers.

The support covers not only research reports and policy models but also the development of testable prototypes, datasets, and evaluation frameworks. More than 400 individuals and institutions submitted proposals for OpenAI's call, and selected organizations will conduct a detailed review of their proposed policy approach's feasibility, cost, and plan for responsible implementation.

This initiative is a follow-up to OpenAI's "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age," announced in June. At the time, OpenAI said it would support research by external organizations, operating independently from OpenAI, to test policy ideas and develop new alternatives aimed at broadly sharing the benefits of advanced AI.

ChatGPT is used by 1 billion people worldwide, with users spread broadly across different regions, income levels, and age groups. As AI's scope of use expands rapidly, the initiative is meant to help develop new approaches to using AI that keep pace with technological change. OpenAI believes decisions about how AI should be used ought to be shaped through democratic public discourse, not by technology companies alone. The selected projects will run for six months, with research results to be published in 2027.

Lee Sang-hyun, head of OpenAI's Asia-Pacific external affairs, said, "We hope these research findings will help governments and societies design policies suited to local conditions and broaden public discourse on economic opportunity and social resilience in the AI era," adding, "We hope Yonsei University's research becomes an example of responsible AI use that contributes to the National Assembly and the development of Korean democracy."

                                                                                                          Kim Young-jin