The University of Mississippi joins 14 other institutions in selective OpenAI initiative

Yahoo

04-03-2025

The University of Mississippi is one of only 15 research institutions chosen to partner with OpenAI as a unique consortium which will provide AI tools to assist in research projects.
OpenAI, established in 2015 and co-chaired by Elon Musk and Sam Altman, is one of the most influential AI research organizations across the globe. The company will gift $50,000 to the University of Mississippi for research projects using the company's tools. The most widely known OpenAI tool is ChatGPT, a chat bot released in November of 2022.
The initiative, called NextGenAI, points to the University of Mississippi's established role as a leader in the growing AI space. Wes Jennings, co-director of the National Center for Narrative Intelligence at the University of Mississippi, said OpenAI was very selective in their choosing candidates and reached out directly to him in November of 2024.
The University of Mississippi is the only institution in the state on the list and is one of three SEC schools. As the initiative continues to grow, other institutions throughout the nation may be selected to join.
Other universities or institutions in the United States chosen include Caltech, the California State University System, Duke University, the University of Georgia, Harvard University, Howard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University and Texas A&M University. Partners also include Sciences Po in Paris, the University of Oxford, Boston Children's Hospital and the Boston Public Library, making 15 institutions total.
OpenAI announced the initiative Tuesday morning. In a press release, OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap said NextGenAI will "accelerate research progress and catalyze a new generation of institutions equipped to harness the transformative power of AI.
"The field of AI wouldn't be where it is today without decades of work in the academic community," Lightcap said. "Continued collaboration is essential to build AI that benefits everyone."
In the same press release, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development at University of Mississippi John Higginbotham said the new initiative will strengthen the university's mission.
"The NextGenAI partnership marks a significant step in the University of Mississippi's efforts tobuild on our existing expertise in artificial intelligence and explore new ways to integrate AI intoour core mission of education, research and service. This collaboration strengthens ourcommitment to innovation and positions our campus as a leader in advancing AI-drivensolutions that benefit our students, faculty and the broader community.'
Jennings, who will lead the initiative on the Ole Miss campus, said the $50,000 does not come with any requirements on how the money should be spent, so NextGenAI opens up a range of research possibilities.
Mark you calendar: From food to music, here are 10 festivals to attend this spring in the Jackson area
A call for research project proposals from students and faculty will go out later this semester. Those chosen will spend the summer months working on the projects using OpenAI tools, and hopefully present findings in the fall, Jennings said.
"We've got plenty of people on this campus that are doing cutting edge and innovative stuff," Jennings said. "We're looking to kind of shake the trees and identify who's out there.
Beyond the research opportunities, Jennings sees this initiative as a way to educate students and faculty on AI, especially those who may be apprehensive or anxious about the concept. AI has been the center of constant debate both from an ethical and a practical standpoint. However, for better or worse, AI has become a part of daily life.
Jennings hopes to show researches that they can work with AI tools to make projects much more efficient, especially with time-consuming tasks.
Do you live in this neighborhood? This Jackson neighborhood placed in 'Best Arts District' in USA Today's Best 10 list
"For example, if I was looking to do a traditional content analysis on perceptions of crime in the state of Mississippi, I would then historically talk with a couple colleagues of mine, bring a bunch of graduate students or undergraduate students on board... go through all the media stories, write it up, and then, two years later I have a paper," Jennings said. "Using AI, we can develop the methodology and scope pretty quickly and then use the AI in the natural language processing models to shift through all that instantaneously."
As AI continues to expand into every day life, initiatives like this are especially important to states like Mississippi which are often overlooked when it comes to resources, Jennings said.
"(The University of Mississippi) wasn't just picked out of a basket. They found us," Jennings said. "The fact that we can be in on the ground floor of something will shine a great spotlight onto our state."
Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at [e-mail]
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: OpenAI chooses Ole Miss in new research initiative