OpenAI announced a $5 million program to support independent research into how generative AI shapes the lives and development of adolescents aged 13–17. The organization said it seeks evidence on how teens use AI, how use patterns relate to developmental outcomes, and which safeguards or design choices affect benefits and risks.
Scope and research priorities
The program will fund proposals that examine topics including emotional development and well-being (emotion regulation, resilience, identity, agency, self-esteem, social connection); social development and relationships (friendships, family relationships, belonging, communication, empathy, social skills); usage patterns and variation across demographics; and mitigations, age-appropriate design, and policy approaches.
OpenAI indicated it welcomes interdisciplinary work across fields such as child and adolescent development, psychology, public health, human–computer interaction, sociology, anthropology, data science, and AI safety. Eligible methods include qualitative, quantitative, experimental, observational, theoretical, participatory, and mixed-methods approaches. Research involving teens in study design is welcome but not required.
Application, review criteria and requirements
Individual grants may be awarded up to $1 million, with total funding of up to $5 million. Applications must be submitted in English as a single-spaced Google Doc and should include a project summary (under one page), a research proposal (up to three pages, excluding references) addressing research questions, prior work, methods, population and recruitment, outputs and limitations, a project plan and timeline, a budget and justification, project dependencies, an ethics and safeguarding statement where relevant, team bios, and disclosures of financial relationships or conflicts.
Proposals will be evaluated on scientific rigor, relevance to public discourse on AI, clarity of the proposal, actionability of findings, ethics and safeguarding, feasibility, team expertise, inclusion and generalizability, complementarity with existing evidence, and independence and credibility. OpenAI said it may give preference to research involving ChatGPT, interdisciplinary teams, underrepresented populations or regions, and projects that can inform near- or medium-term policy decisions.
Ethics, eligibility and timeline
Projects that involve minors must detail institutional or independent ethics review, informed consent and age-appropriate assent procedures, privacy and data protection measures, plans for responding to disclosures of harm, and relevant safeguarding expertise. OpenAI noted that collection of sensitive information does not automatically disqualify an application but may require additional review and safeguards.
Submissions are open through October 6, 2026. A review panel will consider applications on a rolling basis and notify selected proposals on or before November 13, 2026. Fund administration and awards are handled by OpenAI Group PBC. Applicants must be 18 or older and affiliated with a research institution or have substantial relevant experience. Interim updates on research progress are expected in Q1 2027. For inquiries, OpenAI provided the contact email collaborativeresearch@openai.com.
Original source: OpenAI News