OpenAI on Tuesday announced NextGenAI, hailing it as "first-of-its-kind consortium" and committing $50 million for research grants, computer funding and more "for students, educators, and researchers advancing the frontiers of knowledge ... to catalyze progress at a rate faster than any one institution would alone."
"NextGenAI is designed to support the scientist searching for a cure, the scholar uncovering new insights, and the student mastering AI for the world ahead," San Francisco -based OpenAI said in its announcement.
Within the NextGenAI consortium, officials said UM will work on artificial intelligence applications "that broadly benefit society."
"Working with OpenAI provides a special opportunity to collaborate with researchers producing some of the most influential AI developments today and gain access to leading edge models and tools," said Michael Wellman, a UM professor of computer science and engineering and principal investigator for the partnership.
Under the agreement, UM's faculty and students can explore AI applications across fields through the OpenAI's advanced AI models, university officials said. The company will also provide resources for UM to buy high-performance computing power from a provider of its choice. OpenAI also will offer research grants to UM that will be awarded to faculty to advance AI-related research and scholarship.
“Developing a relationship at this scope allows us to showcase the breadth of AI-relevant research at the University of Michigan, including core technology, impactful applications, and societal implications,” Wellman said. “It complements other strategic partnerships that UM is developing with industry and government related to AI and contributes to our effort to build a campuswide AI research community.”
UM is one of the 15 founding partners of NextGenAI. Other founding partners include the California Institute of Technology, the California State University system, Duke University, the University of Georgia, Harvard University, Howard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, University of Oxford in England, along with Boston Children’s Hospital, the Boston Public Library and OpenAI.
OpenAI was created in 2015. Besides Musk, it is co-chaired by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI.
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