Frontier AI research lab OpenAI has announced a new partnership with Tools Competition to spur innovation in artificial intelligence for education. The collaboration sees the launch of the OpenAI Learning Impact Prize, a $100,000 award for startups or individuals leveraging AI to drive breakthroughs in learning outcomes.
Winners will also receive $10,000 in OpenAI API credits and expert technical guidance to help scale their solutions. The prize forms part of the 2023-24 Tools Competition, which provides over $5.5 million in grants and support for edtech tools and research.
With the explosive growth of ChatGPT and the increasing public interest in generative AI tools, organizers believe now is the time to focus on real-world applications of AI in education. The competition invites abstracts by November 10th across five categories spanning pre-K to adult learning. Proposals should demonstrate use of AI-enabled innovations to address key educational challenges.
Up to three OpenAI Learning Impact Prize winners will be selected from among the wider field of competition winners. Runners-up will also gain $2,500 in API credits.
The Tools Competition aims to catalyze learning outcomes, advance research, and cultivate an ecosystem linking edtech developers, researchers and educators. To date it has awarded $9.5 million to 80 winners across 35 countries, benefitting over 100 million learners.
Past winners like Smart Paper, which automated the grading process by analyzing physical learning data, and Rising On Air Interactive, which used AI-chatbots for instruction delivery, showcase the potential of AI to transform learning. These success stories act as benchmarks for aspirants, hinting at the vast scope of technological integration for educational benefit.
The OpenAI partnership and the Learning Impact Prize present opportunities to further build capacity in AI and drive evidence-based innovation. Thoughtful collaboration will be key to realizing the promise of these technologies in education.