Ten philanthropic foundations have launched Humanity AI, a coalition committing $500 million over five years to ensure artificial intelligence development prioritizes human needs over corporate interests. The initiative aims to counter the influence of tech companies that currently dominate AI’s evolution, advocating for technology that serves people rather than simply advancing corporate agendas.
What you should know: The coalition represents a diverse array of major foundations concerned about AI’s current trajectory and its impact on society.
- Members include the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Omidyar Network, Siegal Family Foundation, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
- Partners must make grants in at least one of five priority areas: advancing democracy, strengthening education, protecting artists, enhancing work, or defending personal security.
- The coalition will begin coordinating grants this fall and pool money next year through a fund managed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonprofit that helps donors distribute charitable funds.
Why this matters: Current AI development is increasingly concentrated among a handful of well-funded companies, potentially sidelining broader human interests in favor of profit-driven innovation.
- “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,” MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey said in a statement.
- The coalition seeks to shift the power dynamic so that “the systems shaping our lives must be powered by people, open by design, and fueled by imagination,” according to Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Nabiha Syed.
The big picture: While AI has demonstrated benefits in productivity, healthcare, and humanitarian applications, mounting concerns exist about its negative impacts on society.
- Real harms include children turning to AI chatbots for companionship, AI-generated deepfakes spreading misinformation, energy consumption contributing to climate change, and job displacement affecting young and entry-level workers.
- The technology’s rapid integration into daily life has outpaced public input and oversight, creating a sense that development is happening without sufficient consideration for human welfare.
Competitive landscape: Humanity AI joins other philanthropic efforts launched this year focused on ensuring equitable AI development.
- The Gates Foundation and Ballmer Group announced in July they would spend $1 billion over 15 years to create AI tools for public defenders, parole officers, and social workers helping Americans in precarious situations.
- Additional initiatives focus on improving AI literacy and expanding access for entrepreneurs in low-income countries.
What they’re saying: Coalition leaders emphasize that humans retain the power to shape AI’s future direction, but action is needed now.
- “The future will not be written by algorithms,” said Omidyar Network’s Michele L. Jawando. “It will be written by people as a collective force.”
- “The stakes are too high to defer decisions to a handful of companies and leaders within them,” Palfrey noted, underscoring the urgency of broadening influence over AI development.
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