Artificial intelligence may be the technology of the decade, but a new $500 million initiative aims to keep humans at the heart of it.
This week, 10 major philanthropic organizations announced Humanity AI, a five-year effort aimed at steering the future of AI toward public good rather than corporate gain. The coalition brings together some of the most influential foundations in the US, including the MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and Mozilla Foundation.
“Every day, people learn more about the ways AI is impacting their lives, and it can often feel like this technology is happening to us rather than with us and for us,” said John Palfrey, president of MacArthur, in a statement. “The stakes are too high to defer decisions to a handful of companies and leaders within them.”
Steering AI away from the tech titans
The announcement comes amid growing concern that the world’s biggest tech companies hold too much control over how AI evolves and who benefits from it.
“AI is not destiny, it is design,” said Michele L. Jawando, president of the Omidyar Network. “Tech has incredible potential, but must be steered by humans, not the other way around. The future will not be written by algorithms. It will be written by people as a collective force.”
“We are at a crossroads. The decisions we make now about who builds AI, who benefits from it, and whose values shape it will determine whether it amplifies human needs or erodes them,” she added.
The coalition says the goal is to make AI more democratic by funding technologists, researchers, and advocates focused on protecting human creativity, workers’ rights, and community values.
Where the money will go
This philanthropic powerhouse will focus its grantmaking on five key areas where AI’s impact is already causing major ripple effects:
- Democracy: Protecting our rights and freedoms against the potential for AI misuse.
- Education: Ensuring AI in schools helps all students learn and expands, not limits, access to knowledge.
- Humanities and culture: Keeping human creativity valued, protecting artists’ work from theft, and strengthening ownership rights in an era of AI-generated content.
- Labor and economy: Making sure AI enhances human work and helps people thrive, rather than simply replacing workers.
- Security: Holding AI developers to high standards to protect our physical and digital safety, from automated decision-making to driverless cars.
The initiative will be managed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), which will handle a pooled fund and hire staff to oversee grantmaking. The coalition expects to begin awarding grants in 2026, while aligned partners are already planning their first wave of funding this fall.
Humanity AI joins a growing movement among philanthropies to ensure AI benefits society at large. It follows similar commitments, such as the Gates Foundation and Ballmer Group’s $1 billion initiative announced earlier this year to create AI tools for public defenders and social workers.
But Humanity AI’s focus stands out; it’s not just about access or efficiency. It’s about reimagining what progress means in an AI-powered world.
“Most of what we’re offered right now is efficiency. But that’s not flourishing,” said Jawando, as reported by AP News. “I don’t want my life to be efficient. I want it to flourish. I want it to feel rich and robust and healthy and safe.
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