The OpenAI Foundation announced a $250 million program to help people cope with the economic dislocations that artificial intelligence might create in the years to come.
The program will fund research, grants, partnerships and new programs to explore how AI is changing jobs, businesses and everyday life. AI could create huge opportunities but could also lead to major disruption if governments and institutions aren’t ready, the Foundation said.
One of the biggest challenges is that the world still doesn’t fully understand how AI will affect the economy, the statement said. We developed the measures we have today for things like jobs, wages and economic growth before AI got so powerful.
The purpose of the Foundation is to develop better ways of tracking how value created by AI is shared in order to support workers and create an overall improved economy. The Foundation said the initiative will support efforts to better understand how AI-generated value is distributed across the economy and help workers navigate economic transitions.
AI should dramatically increase quality of life and individual freedoms for people around the world.
The OpenAI Foundation is making an initial $250M commitment to measurement, transition support, and new approaches to broadly shared prosperity.https://t.co/zOD8O94RjQ
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 27, 2026
In addition to assisting workers transition from obsolete careers through different methods (for example: job placement services, retraining, wage insurance) and provide assistance in locating new employment opportunities, the Foundation said it would explore ways to give workers greater agency over how AI is deployed and a stronger voice in institutions shaping economic change.
A major part of this initiative will be to develop long-term options for stability to society at large related to the pervasive growth of AI. As part of this effort, the Foundation will examine public wealth funds, new tax approaches and mechanisms to distribute financial benefits created by AI across society.
The Foundation will also work towards supporting the creation of AI solutions for developing countries, particularly where the technology provides access to health care, education, legal and public service resources for citizens in those locations.
The announcement comes amid growing debate over how AI could reshape jobs and the economy. The Foundation said it plans to fund research and pilot programs to explore possible solutions.
By the end of this year, the Foundation plans to announce its first projects related to this effort. The Foundation described AI’s impact on the global economy as one of the most significant transitions in generations and said preparations should begin before the full effects become apparent.
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