Philanthropists to invest €427 million to curbs tech giants’ influence on new AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a matter of design – not destiny.

That's the message from 10 philanthropic foundations aiming to loosen the grip that the technology's moneyed developers, fueled by an investing frenzy, hold over its evolution.

Launched Tuesday under the name Humanity AI, the coalition is committing $500 million (€427 million) across the next five years to place human interests at the forefront of the technology's rapid integration into daily life.

“The future belongs to those who actively create it, and that shan’t be a few leaders in Silicon Valley. It’s all of us,” Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Nabiha Syed said in an emailed statement.

“The systems shaping our lives must be powered by people, open by design, and fueled by imagination," Syed added.

AI has been embraced as a productivity booster in fields such as software engineering or medicine. It could help students with a range of visual, speech, language, and hearing impairments to execute tasks that come easily to others.

Humanitarian groups are testing its ability to translate important documents for refugees. And some farmers find it useful for detecting pests in their hard-to-survey fields.

But others question whether its deployment is actually improving their quality of life. Some point out that real harms exist for children turning to AI chatbots for companionship. AI-generated deepfake videos contribute to the online spread of misinformation and disinformation.

Meanwhile, the electricity-hungry systems' reliance on energy generated by fossil fuels contributes to climate change. And economists fear AI is taking jobs from young or entry-level workers.

The problem, according to Omidyar Network President Michele L. Jawando, is that tech giants aren't investing en masse in the first set of use cases. They're focused on products that may or may not help humans thrive.

Jawando pointed to OpenAI 's recent entrance into the online marketplace as an example. At its DevDay last week, the company touted ChatGPT's new capabilities as a virtual merchant that can sell goods directly for Etsy sellers or deliver food from Uber Eats.

The coalition recognises the private sector's desire to maximise profits and governments' interest in spurring innovation, according to Jawando.

But between tech companies' great influence and the Trump administration's regulatory rollbacks to speed up AI technology construction, she said philanthropic leaders recognised the need for more capital and more collaboration to amplify the voice of civil society.

Jawando said Humanity AI's role is identifying what “flourishing” looks like in a world with AI.

“Most of what we’re offered right now is efficiency. But that’s not flourishing," she said. "I don’t want my life to be efficient. I want my life to flourish. I want it to feel rich and robust and healthy and safe”.

Led by the MacArthur Foundation and Omidyar Network, Humanity AI seeks to take back agency by supporting technology and advocates centering people and the planet. The alliance of a broad range of philanthropies underscores the widespread concern about the future of AI.

Members must make grants in at least one of five priority areas identified by the coalition: advancing democracy, strengthening education, protecting artists, enhancing work, or defending personal security.

The alliance includes groups such as the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Lumina Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Kapor Foundation, and the Siegel Family Endowment.